Islamabad – In a major policy decision, the federal government of Pakistan has approved 30,000 new residential connections for Re-gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG), despite the ongoing nationwide gas crisis and declining indigenous gas reserves. However, the ban on new local natural gas connections will remain in place.
According to Aamir Tufail, Managing Director of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), the government has allowed the company to offer RLNG connections to domestic consumers in Punjab and other service areas — but only to those willing to pay the higher cost of imported gas. These connections will be provided by June 30, 2025.
For more details on the government’s decision, you can read the official report here.
Tufail added that there are currently over 4 million pending applications for household gas connections, with around 50,000 applicants open to receiving RLNG. In the first phase, 30,000 of them will be accommodated.
It is important to note that Pakistan’s local gas reserves are depleting at a rate of 8 to 10 percent annually. Due to this consistent decline, the government had imposed a ban on new gas connections four years ago. Currently, gas is supplied on a priority basis to select sectors in residential, industrial, and commercial categories.
Only new housing societies with existing underground infrastructure, valid NOCs, and official approvals will be eligible to receive RLNG connections, Tufail clarified. This policy aims to facilitate gas supply to new development projects under controlled and approved frameworks.
On the other hand, Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has already initiated a similar RLNG-based connection scheme in Sindh and Balochistan to partially meet the rising domestic demand.
Last year, Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik informed the Senate that Pakistan’s daily gas production stands at around 3,200 MMCFD, with most of it consumed by the power and fertilizer sectors — leaving little for domestic use. In this context, RLNG connections are viewed as an alternative, though significantly more expensive, solution to the household energy crisis.
