Winter gas plan: homes to get gas 5pm to 10pm from November, CNG cuts likely in December and January

Homes on the SNGPL and SSGC networks would get priority gas from 5pm to 10pm this winter, with the best pressure at cooking time, under a load management plan the Petroleum Division has sent to the Prime Minister-led Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) for approval, Business Recorder reported on Tuesday 13 October 2026. It covers November 2026 to February 2027 and is a proposal until the committee signs off.

Who gets gas first

1. Households, top priority, with the 5pm to 10pm window protected.
2. Power, industry and fertiliser, supplied according to demand and what is available.
3. CNG stations are first in line for cuts, especially in December and January.

In the worst case, cement plants, process industry and captive power plants could also lose gas so it can go to homes. Supply at other hours of the day is not spelled out in the plan.

Why gas will be short

Demand roughly doubles in winter as people heat rooms and water:

The gap has to be filled with imported LNG, and that has been the problem all year. QatarEnergy has been under force majeure since March 2026: of the cargoes due from March to September, 10 arrived and 40 did not. Spot bids in September came in at about $26.7 to $27 per mmBtu, and a third tender drew no bids at all.

SNGPL needs about 24 cargoes for the winter. The plan asks QatarEnergy for at least four a month, has Pakistan LNG Limited book one SOCAR cargo a month at up to $20.97 per mmBtu, and has PSO look for one a month from Shell or Oman Trading International from December.

Fertiliser and your bill

If the three Sui-fed fertiliser plants (Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim, Fatima and Agritech) are shut in December and January, the country could be short of about 109,000 tonnes of urea a month, right in the wheat sowing season. No decision has been taken.

Using costly spot LNG for homes could open a Rs 45 billion hole that would need an increase of more than Rs 300 per mmBtu to recover, so watch for a tariff request after the winter. To see what your current usage costs, try our gas bill calculator. If you are switching to electric heaters during the cuts, check the cost first with the electricity bill calculator.