Key Takeaways
- Liberty Daharki Power Limited (LDPL) has requested urgent intervention from the government to restore gas supplies.
- The company's 235MW plant was shut down on September 17, 2026, due to non-payment of dues.
- LDPL warns that the shutdown could lead to increased costs and potential load-shedding.
Liberty Daharki Power Limited (LDPL) has appealed to the government for immediate restoration of raw gas supplies to its 235-megawatt (MW) power plant, which was shut down on September 17, 2026, due to non-payment of dues.
In a letter to relevant authorities, Chairman of the Board Mujahid Pervaz Chattha sought an urgent meeting to resolve the dispute over outstanding dues and restore gas supplies.
LDPL maintains that its plant was operating at number six on the Economic Merit Order (EMO) in accordance with dispatch requirements communicated by the Independent System and Market Operator (ISMO) when gas supplies were disconnected.
The company's 235-MW combined-cycle power plant operates on indigenous raw gas supplied by Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) from the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited’s (OGDCL) Qadirpur gas field, playing a critical role in maintaining grid stability and providing cost-effective electricity to the national grid.
LDPL warns that the unavailability of its 221 MW of active generation would require the national grid to replace the lost electricity with more expensive sources, particularly power plants operating on imported re-gasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) or high-sulphur furnace oil (HSFO).
The company estimates that replacing its generation could result in an additional foreign exchange outflow of approximately USD 600,000 per day, or around USD 18 million per month, due to the higher cost of imported fuels.
LDPL also disputed SNGPL’s claim of outstanding dues amounting to Rs24 billion, describing the figure as highly exaggerated. It said the actual net amount payable to SNGPL stood at Rs6 billion after adjustments.
The company attributed the dispute to the legacy of circular debt, which it said had been only partially resolved during negotiations with independent power producers (IPPs) in 2024.
LDPL requested a meeting with the relevant authorities to discuss the outstanding dues and restoration of gas supplies, emphasizing the necessity of restarting the plant to ensure the availability of relatively inexpensive electricity to the national grid.
Copies of the letter were sent to the secretaries of the Power and Petroleum divisions, the managing director of SNGPL, the executive director of ISMO, and the chairman of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA).
