State-run Qatargas is in the final stages of talks on a deal to supply Pakistan with 3 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas annually for 15 years, industry sources in Doha told Reuters on Wednesday.

“The deal to supply Pakistan with 3 million tonnes a year for 15 years is in the final stages and will be signed in a matter of a few weeks,” said one source.

A second source said the first shipment would be received by March.

An official from Pakistan’s Ministry of Water and Power confirmed that an LNG deal was planned but declined to give details. No one from Qatargas was available to comment.

The south Asian country of 180 million people suffers from serious power shortages; power cuts can last up to 20 hours a day in some areas.

Source: Trade Arabia