Energy-hungry Pakistan could start receiving LNG supplies from Russia in the future, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Lavrov revealed this during a news conference on April 7 after a meeting with Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Islamabad.
“Some time ago now, there was a mutual interest in the supply of Russian LNG by Gazprom, Rosneft, and Novatek,” he said.
“Appropriate proposals have been put forward. We are waiting for a response from our Pakistani partners,” Lavrov said.
He did not provide any additional information.
The meeting, among others, discussed economic relations between the two countries but also progress on the Pakistan Stream gas pipeline project linking Karachi and Lahore.
Russian firms would build the pipeline, estimated to cost about $2 billion. The pipeline would allow Pakistan to import more LNG.
Qatar is the dominant LNG supplier to Pakistan
Pakistan has been steadily increasing its LNG imports over the years and the country plans to build several more terminals in order to cope with gas shortages for power generation.
The Port Qasim currently hosts two LNG import facilities – both utilizing floating storage and regasification units.
The country’s first terminal started operations back in 2015 via Exclerate’s FSRU while the second floating LNG import facility uses FSRU BW integrity.
Qatar is the largest supplier of LNG to Pakistan, but the country also receives chilled fuel from other Middle East producers and suppliers from other regions.
To remind, state-owned LNG giant Qatar Petroleum has recently entered into a new long-term deal with Pakistan State Oil Company.
The new deal raises the total of long-term LNG supplies from Qatar to Pakistan to 6.75 mtpa.