Pakistan Fuel Marketers Add 96 Retail Stations Across Country
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Oil marketing companies across Pakistan expanded their fuel retail forecourts during 1QFY27, commissioning dozens of new petrol pumps despite national targets aimed at electric vehicle adoption. Market leader Pakistan State Oil completed 37 new retail sites during the three-month period, lifting its nationwide network to 3,727 stations, the largest footprint in the country.
Wafi Energy Pakistan Ltd added 54 new Shell retail sites and nine electric vehicle charging locations during the first nine months ending Sept 30. The sustained commercial buildout indicates that forecourt operators continue betting on rising petrol demand over official electrification goals.
Under the Auto Policy 2026-31, the government aims to make 30 per cent of all new vehicles electric by 2030. Yet distributors on the ground are responding to daily road traffic anchored by petrol-powered two-wheelers and 660-1,000cc cars, which remain the primary mobility choice for consumers navigating weak public transit networks.
Network Expansion Along Freight Corridors
Attock Petroleum commissioned five new retail outlets during the quarter while decommissioning six underperforming locations under a network optimisation programme. Its operational network counted 816 stations on September 30, including 46 company-owned, company-operated sites.
Private distributors are chasing traffic along newly built highways, bypasses and motorways linking northern transit points. Forty-eight licensed distributors maintain active operations across the country out of 50 permits issued by regulators. Forecourt operators focus investments on high-throughput intercity arteries where commercial vehicle flow guarantees daily volume.
Commuters rely on personal two-wheelers because metropolitan transit systems remain patchy and overburdened. When petrol prices fluctuate following international supply shocks, consumers turn to smaller displacement engines rather than abandoning combustion models entirely. That consumer preference shields forecourt retailers from sudden drops in fuel transactions.
“The distributor also installed a heavy-duty charger at a company-owned site in Islamabad with Huawei Technologies Pakistan and AE Power Energy, with plans to equip 13 more stations.”
Slow Build for Charging Hubs
Electrification investments remain modest additions to existing forecourt footprints. Pakistan State Oil installed chargers in Faisalabad and Multan during the quarter, bringing its charging network to 16 locations nationwide.
Attock Petroleum activated highway charging points at the Dandiwal Service Areas on the M-4 Motorway through a venture with Hubco Green. The distributor also installed a heavy-duty charger at a company-owned site in Islamabad with Huawei Technologies Pakistan and AE Power Energy, with plans to equip 13 more stations.
Forecourt operators argue that gas stations represent poor locations for battery recharging. Globally, drivers of electric bikes and passenger cars recharge at homes, apartments and commercial shopping centres rather than sitting at roadside forecourts. State pressure to add chargers at petrol stations therefore runs against natural consumer refuelling habits.
Motorcycle Volumes Sustain Forecourt Footfall
Vehicle fleet economics heavily favour gasoline distributors. The country holds 30 million motorcycles, five million cars and 10 million rickshaws on its roads, with no statutory retirement policy requiring old combustion engines to be scrapped after decades of use.
Between 50 and 60 per cent of two-wheelers rely on petrol. Local assembly plants turned out 442,179 motorcycles during July and August, up from 321,788 units in the prior-year period. Assembly reached 2.416 million two-wheelers in fiscal 2026, compared to 1.692 million in fiscal 2025.
Electric alternatives gained ground from a low base, with electric two-wheeler sales rising to 240,000 units in fiscal 2026 from 60,000 units in fiscal 2025. Passenger car sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2027 reached 41,872 units, climbing from 29,318 units a year earlier, even as purchases of larger sport utility vehicles, pickups and vans dropped to 8,608 units from 12,949.
Attock Petroleum plans to install charging hardware across 13 additional retail locations as oil marketing companies monitor whether state regulators will force further capital spending into commercial charging hubs.
Questions & Answers
Q.Why are fuel marketers continuing to invest heavily in petrol forecourts?
Why are fuel marketers continuing to invest heavily in petrol forecourts?
Retailers are responding to robust commuter demand anchored by 30 million motorcycles and small-displacement cars operating across patchy public transit networks. Forecourt operators also argue that petrol stations are unsuitable for recharging, as electric vehicle drivers naturally prefer charging at home or at shopping centres.
Q.What targets has the government established for electric vehicle adoption?
What targets has the government established for electric vehicle adoption?
Under the Auto Policy 2026-31, the Pakistani government aims for electric models to make up 30 per cent of all new vehicle sales by 2030. However, fuel distributors continue prioritising petrol forecourts along busy transit corridors to capture steady commercial and commuter traffic volumes.
Q.What progress have fuel retailers made in rolling out electric vehicle chargers?
What progress have fuel retailers made in rolling out electric vehicle chargers?
Pakistan State Oil increased its charging network to 16 locations by opening points in Faisalabad and Multan. Attock Petroleum activated highway charging on the M-4 Motorway and installed a heavy-duty charger in Islamabad, alongside plans to equip a further 13 retail sites.