Russia has delivered the first batch of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the amount of 100,000 metric tons to Pakistan, the embassy said on Tuesday.

“The batch was delivered through Iran’s Sarakhs Special Economic Zone,” the Russian embassy said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Consultations on the second shipment are underway.”

Pakistan has been looking for avenues to meet its energy needs, as the country’s own reserves start to deplete.

Many people took to the streets earlier this month against exorbitant bills, demanding that the government should lower the tariff and tax the rich people.

The delivery of LPG is part of Pakistan’s agreement with the Kremlin.

The first cargo of Russian crude oil for Pakistan reached Karachi on June 11, 2023. The ship anchored at the Karachi port with 45,142 metric tons of crude oil.

Pakistan, the world’s fifth most populous country, faces chronic energy shortages and imports 84 per cent of its petroleum products, overwhelmingly from Gulf Arab allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The energy-crunch country imported 154,000bpd of oil in 2022, broadly flat from the previous year, data from analytics firm Kpler showed.

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Pakistan refinery would handle the shipment, reported Radio Pakistan. Another shipment carrying 50,000 metric tons of crude oil would reach Karachi next week, the state-run news broadcaster added.

Earlier this month, Power Minister Muhammad Ali said that the government would try to manage the ports at full capacity to meet the high demand in winter.

“If other refineries besides Pakistan oil refinery also agree to refine Russian oil, then more oil will be ordered from Russia,” he said on September 22.