Check Where CNG Stands in Pakistan: Gas Use Down 83% Since 2011-12, New Licences Only on RLNG
OGRA says CNG gas use fell from 325 to 55 MMCFD between 2011-12 and 2024-25, with no new licences since 2008 except on RLNG. See how to check your CNG station.
Short answer: OGRA's 2024-25 report says gas used by CNG fell from 325 million cubic feet a day in 2011-12 to 55 in 2024-25, a drop of about 83 per cent. No new provisional CNG station licences have been issued since February 2008, apart from a 2020 route for stations on imported RLNG gas.
CNG, or compressed natural gas, was the cheap car fuel of the 2000s. Today the same gas goes mostly to homes, factories and power.
We downloaded the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) report, "State of the Regulated Petroleum Industry 2024-25", from ogra.org.pk on 14 October 2026 and read its CNG section and gas tables. We do not give a CNG pump price here, because the report does not publish one.
CNG gas use fell 83 per cent in 13 years
The report says CNG use peaked at 325 MMCFD in 2011-12 and has fallen steadily to 55 MMCFD in 2024-25. MMCFD means million cubic feet a day. The report calls the overall fall about 83 per cent. By its own words, CNG has gone from a major transport fuel to a niche segment.
The same year's gas tables agree. SNGPL's CNG sector took 52 MMCFD and SSGC's took 2 MMCFD. Together that is 54, or 1.62 per cent of the 3,335 MMCFD the country used.
No new provisional CNG licences since February 2008
CNG was introduced in 1992 to cut pollution and save foreign exchange. It is regulated under the CNG (Production and Marketing) Rules, 1992 and a standard code of practice. In February 2008 the Federal Government banned new provisional licences for CNG stations.
On 23 October 2020 the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) allowed new CNG licences on an RLNG basis. RLNG is imported liquefied gas turned back into gas. The report says OGRA is processing applications under that decision. It does not say how many have been approved.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1992 | CNG introduced as a car fuel, with CNG rules framed |
| February 2008 | Ban on new provisional station licences |
| 2011-12 | CNG use peaked at 325 MMCFD |
| 23 October 2020 | ECC allowed new licences on RLNG basis |
| 2024-25 | CNG use down to 55 MMCFD |
Why RLNG is the only way back in
The report calls the ECC decision "an opportunity for revival", but only if the infrastructure and the demand are there. RLNG costs more than local gas, and its price changes every month. We have tracked it in RLNG costing more than at any point since imports began. So a CNG station on RLNG may charge more per kilo than the old stations did on local gas.
That is our reading, not a figure from the report. The report does not compare prices. What it does say is that growth depends on RLNG supply, regulatory support and how many people choose it for city transport.
CNG now takes a small slice of the gas
OGRA says the country used 3,335 MMCFD in 2024-25. Power took the largest share and fertilizer plants and homes followed. Under the Natural Gas Load Management Policy, homes get the highest priority for uninterrupted supply. CNG stations sit well below that, at about 1.6 per cent of national use.
About 26 per cent of all the gas supplied was RLNG. A CNG sector that depends on RLNG would compete with homes, power and industry for the same imported cargoes. The report does not say how OGRA will balance that.
Check a CNG station before you fill
The old stations are still the ones in use. OGRA keeps a list of operational and cancelled CNG stations, which we counted at 811 operational and 408 cancelled. A station on the cancelled list should not be selling gas. If you drive a CNG car, a quick check takes five minutes.
- Open the CNG page on ogra.org.pk and download the list of operational stations.
- Search for the station's name and city.
- Check the cancelled list as well.
- Look for your cylinder's test certificate date and keep the receipt from your last retest.
- Complain to OGRA if a station sells gas without a licence.
The full steps are in how to check a CNG station is OGRA licensed. If you are thinking of converting a car, read the rules for fitting a CNG or LPG kit legally first. And for the comparison with home cylinders, see piped gas and LPG.
Common questions
How much gas does CNG use in Pakistan?
55 MMCFD in 2024-25 according to OGRA, down from 325 MMCFD in 2011-12. SNGPL supplied 52 of that and SSGC 2.
Can new CNG stations open in Pakistan?
New provisional licences have been banned since February 2008. Since an ECC decision on 23 October 2020, OGRA can process licences for stations on RLNG.
Why has CNG use fallen?
The report gives no single cause. It records the steady fall and says CNG is now a niche segment.
How do I know a CNG station is licensed?
Search for it on OGRA's list of operational stations, and check the cancelled list. A cancelled station should not be selling gas.
Is CNG still cheaper than petrol?
This report gives no CNG pump price, so we cannot say. Check the price posted at your station against the current petrol price before you decide.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 14 October 2026. We read OGRA's State of the Regulated Petroleum Industry 2024-25, the CNG chapter, the executive summary and the sector gas tables, from the PDF on ogra.org.pk. The 83 per cent is the report's own figure and we confirmed it from 325 and 55. The years in between were in a scanned table that did not read clearly, so we left them out. We did not check any station's licence.
About the author
Senior Writer, Public Services and Technology
Shahid joined us in 2024 as an author. He is a senior contributor to Pakistan's leading technology websites. He writes detailed articles, mostly covering his expertise in the latest tech, mobiles, apps, gadgets, and step-by-step guides. His ideology is to help people understand the latest trends and explain complex methods through very easy-to-understand guides.
