Pakistani regulator Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on January 12 granted licences to two private companies, Energas and Tabeer Energy, allowing them to market regasified LNG (RLNG), local media reported on January 13.  

The licences are be valid for 10 years. Both applicants are stated to have their own customers in the private sector and will arrange LNG imports without any liability to the government by utilising the pipeline networks of gas utilities, Dawn reported. Initially, they plan to also utilise spare capacity at LNG re-gasification terminals. 

Energas is a consortium of Pakistan’s leading business groups including Sapphire, Younas Brothers and Halmore. Its sister organisation Energas Terminal has a pact with ExxonMobil for LNG supply and is establishing its own LNG terminal at Port Qasim near Karachi, from which the RLNG would be supplied to customers, Dawn said. Tabeer Energy, owned by Japan’s Mitsubishi, is also looking to develop an LNG terminal at Port Qasim.  

Some companies had raised questions over the regulator's impartiality in accepting applications, noting that it had ignored the mandatory requirement of having an agreement or memorandum with a licensed terminal operator. Ogra overruled these objects, however. Neither Energas nor Tabeer have taken a final investment decision on their terminals.