Govt raises RLNG prices by up to 34.6% as Qatar supply disruption drags on

• RLNG price goes up $6.316 for SNGPL consumers.
• Pakistan received just five LNG cargoes in July.
• RLNG prices up over 144% since Middle East war.

ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) has hiked the prices of re-gasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) by up to 34.6% for July 2026, further intensifying inflationary pressures on consumers.

The sharp increase stemmed from the arrival of just five LNG cargoes in July — the third-lowest monthly import volume since Pakistan began importing the super-cooled fuel, according to The News.

Customers of Sui Southern Gas Company in the south got the harder hit, with prices jumping $6.4512 per million British thermal units to $25.087, a 34.6% rise.

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited consumers in the north will pay $25.8388 per MMBtu, up $6.316, or 32.35%, a notification by the regulator said.

Notably, the RLNG prices in the country have surged more than 144% since the war erupted in the Middle East on February 28. State-run Pakistan LNG Limited bought all five cargoes on the international spot market for July, where prices run higher and volatile.

Pakistan State Oil, which imports Qatari gas under two long-term, crude-linked contracts, brought in nothing. That absence of PSO import explains the squeeze.

Since drone strikes hit Qatari energy infrastructure on March 2, QatarEnergy, the world’s biggest LNG exporter, declared force majeure and halted shipments to customers across Europe and Asia, including Pakistan.

For now, Islamabad has no clear way to return to cheaper LNG supplies from Qatar. Unless the Middle East situation improves, the country is likely to keep buying more expensive LNG from the spot market, leaving consumers to bear the higher costs.