I first heard Rauf Klasra making these allegations on a TV program I think sometimes in September or October 2019 on Dunya News Channel. I immediately sent an email to Mr.Klasra via Dunya News asking him to tell me which company can make the LNG terminal is RS 6-billion which was equal to about $60-milion at that time. Mr. Clara never replied or even acknowledged my email.
There are two main allegations, the Qatar LNG Contract, and the Engro LNG terminal.
The Qatar LNG contract price:
I have already discussed this matter in detail in my post #25 of 14/2/20 and Honourable Ejaz007 also referred to it in his post 0f 16/2/20.
Here is an excerpt from the@Ejaz007 post.
“Pakistan saved $600m in Qatar LNG deal: Bloomberg
ISLAMABAD: A Bloomberg news report has confirmed what the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz government had claimed that the LNG supply deal with Qatar saved the national exchequer millions of dollars.
A report from the Pakistan State Oil presented two weeks ago to Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum, and reviewed by the US financial daily, details how the 2016 deal came together with Qatar, the world’s largest supplier of liquefied natural gas.”
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/366554-pakistan-saved-600m-in-qatar-lng-deal-bloomberg
Excerpt from my post #24 dated 14/2/2020.
“According to market sources, the benchmark for spot Asian LNG prices, JKM, has fallen more than 40% from the beginning of 2019 to about $5.20/MMBtu by the end of the year due to a wave of new supply from Australia and the US, and slowing demand growth in China.
Australian LNG is manufactured from the Methane associated with Coal mines of Australia. However, this is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Hence in Sept 2019, Pakistan tender 'Spot' prices quoted ranged from 8.7% (for one cargo) to 10.3% of Brent ex-ship. One must also realize that Spot prices are not always cheaper as the same can go up as easily as come down and supply is not assured. No country will rely on spot cargo to meet its energy demand. As in the case of Refinery product planning, you rely on term contracts from 80% of your requirements, leaving 20% to buy on Spot.
The real reason for the drop in the LNG prices is the slowdown in the GDP growth of China & India from the 2017/2018 period. How many people could have predicted in 2018 that Indian economic growth will slide down to about 5% from the 8% of the last 5 years or that Coronavirus and Hong Kong turmoil will seriously impact the economic activity in China? Everyone has 20/20 Hindsight and it is always easy to criticize after the event.”
LNG Terminal Cost.
If anyone cares to examine the first feasibility where the Rs 6-billion figure was mentioned carefully; one would realize that this plan envisaged using the existing oil jetty at Port Qasim. This was not practicable; because every 2nd or 3rd day, the jetty is occupied by the tankers discharging imported diesel and gasoline. and its occupation by the LNG vessel would cause a fuel shortage in the country.
LNG needs regasification before it can be used and unless you build a regasification plant on land costing about $130-million, you need a permanent jetty where a Floating Storage & Regasification Unit (FSRU) can be berthed until all of it can be regasified and discharged which takes much longer than simply discharging a normal oil tanker. Hence a separate jetty was needed. The cost of a jetty alone is about $60-million.
Here is the cost breakdown of a normal LNG receiving terminal.
| | | | | all numbers in million US$ | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | Land-based regasification | | | | | Terminal using FSRU | | | |
| | | | | | | like the Engro | | l | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
Unloading lines | | 100 | | | | | nil | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | nil | | | |
Lang Tanks | | 85 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
Process equipment | | 130 | | | | | 250 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
onshore infra-structure | nil | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 30 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
Land & fees | | 125 | | | | | 20 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
Grand total | | 560 | | | | | 360 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
The figures are mentioned under heading 3.1 CAPEX COMPARISON
From:
https://www.jtsi.wa.gov.au/docs/def...iving-terminals-and-fsru.pdf?sfvrsn=9266d1c_8
If you don’t have the money to buy an FRSU then you rent one like the Engro Terminal.
"They cost about $300 million to build, or half as much as an onshore import terminal, and are up and running as much as six times faster, sometimes within as little as a year, according to owners Hoegh
LN G and Excelerate Energy.
Competition to supply FSRUs has cut costs of leasing such vessels by 20% to about $120,000/day from five years ago, said Keith Bainbridge, managing director of industry consultant CS LNG in London"
http://gasprocessingnews.com/news/fsru-ships-in-high-demand-as-buyers-seek-quicker-route-to-lng.aspx
Engro terminal has no jetty and costs $130-million because FSRU is being rented. Where is the Rs 200-billion scam here?
I don’t know Mr.Abdur Rahman but the gentleman like Rauf Klasra has no knowledge of the LNG market or terminal costs.
Additionally, it's also a lie that Pakistan has not been trying to discover oil & gas. The discoveries were small because that is what was there, not the fault of the government or the oil companies, or shows a lack of effort.
Regarding biogas, you could only supply some villages but then you would simply replace the ‘Thapis’ / dried cow dung used as fuel for cooking in the remote village. Besides according to Omar Ayub, Pakistan’s gas demand was 7.5-billion cft whereas production was only 3.5-billion cft. It is impossible to generate enough biogas to resolve even a small percentage of Pakistan's gas shortage.
https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/country-fast-losing-natural-gas-reserves-says-omar-ayub/
I have no connection with Mr Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, you can hang him and all his cronies for all I care but first convict him in a court of law. I am simply sick of unprincipled bloggers and ignorant journalists making exaggerated claims without any real justification and I would not comment on this subject anymore.