LAHORE/KARACHI (Dunya News) – The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited has released a revised gas load-shedding schedule for domestic consumers in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the winter period from December to February.
According to officials, the same schedule will apply across the country except in Karachi and Quetta, where separate arrangements are in place.
Households have been advised to prepare breakfast and other meals during the designated supply hours. Under the new timetable, domestic users will receive gas intermittently in three daily slots: from 5.30am to 8.30am, from 11.30am to 1.30pm and from 5.30pm to 8.30pm. SNGPL reiterated that no load-shedding is being carried out for the industrial sector.
Officials said winter demand has increased many times over, yet gas remains available in the system and there is no nationwide shortage. They cautioned that gas is expensive and urged consumers to use it strictly according to their needs.
The announcement follows the federal government’s directions issued in late November on managing winter supplies. On 24 November, Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervez Malik chaired a meeting on seasonal gas arrangements, instructing utilities to ensure uninterrupted service for consumers. He said public convenience must remain the key priority and that gas companies had been given the required directions.
According to an official statement, the managing directors of SNGPL and Sui Southern Gas Company briefed the minister on gas availability across the country. The meeting also reviewed progress on issuing new Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas domestic connections.
Malik noted that the domestic supply situation this year was significantly better than last winter. SNGPL’s managing director told the meeting that domestic users were receiving gas not only at mealtimes but also between 5am and 10pm in several areas. Officials from the Petroleum Division, Sui Northern, Sui Southern and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority attended the review.
Gas load-shedding has emerged as a persistent public concern in recent winters, particularly for households reliant on piped supply. Pakistan holds 0.4 percent of global gas reserves but accounts for 1.1 percent of worldwide consumption, according to Worldometer’s country reserves data. Household users claim roughly half of all piped gas, followed by the fertiliser sector, independent power producers, industry and CNG stations.
Last month, the federal government formally launched the process of providing new RLNG connections to domestic consumers nationwide. This marks the restoration of fresh household supplies after a four-year suspension. The ban on new connections, imposed in 2021 due to rapidly declining natural gas reserves, had forced many households to depend on costlier alternatives such as Liquefied Petroleum Gas for cooking and heating.