A technical fault at one of Bangladesh’s floating LNG terminals (FSRU) has reduced gas supply to the national grid, but the energy ministry expects the situation to normalise within two to three days.
Joint Secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division (EMRD) under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MPEMR), Monir Hossain Chowdhury, at a press conference on Wednesday said that repairs are underway and the disruption is only temporary.
He explained that mechanical issues at one of the two FSRUs have lowered gas pressure, causing long queues at some CNG stations and reduced supply to industries, power plants, and households.
Long queues of vehicles in front of a good number of CNG filling stations across the country were witnessed on Wednesday as the consequence.
Sources said a technical fault at Excelerate Energy's FSRU in Maheshkhali disrupted LNG supplies, reducing gas injection into the national grid on Tuesday morning.
The incident resulted in around a 40 per cent reduction in LNG regasification, bringing supplies down to about 600 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) on Tuesday from nearly 1.0 billion cubic feet per day (Bcfd) the previous day, according to Petrobangla sources.
Consumers said the disruption has intensified gas shortages in Dhaka and other parts of Bangladesh, where many households have been left with little or no gas for cooking for much of the day.
In some areas, supplies have stopped altogether, while factories in key industrial zones have reportedly been forced to reduce production because of low gas pressure.
Despite the gas shortage, the EMRD top official, however, confirmed that there is no fuel oil crisis in the country now.
Current reserves include 31 days of diesel, 36 days of octane, 20 days of petrol, 25 days of furnace oil, and 20 days of jet fuel, said the EMRD joint secretary Monir Hossain.
Additional shipments of diesel are expected by July 31 and in August, ensuring stability in oil supply for at least 48 days.
Officials acknowledged that Bangladesh’s growing reliance on imported LNG has made the system vulnerable to disruptions.
The country’s daily demand stands at 3,800 million cubic feet, while supply has dropped to 2,700–2,800 million cubic feet, including imported LNG.
To reduce dependency, the government has initiated short, medium, and long-term measures, which include drilling of 100 new gas wells.
A Tk 7.29 billion project to drill three wells at Begumganj (Noakhali) and Sunamganj was approved on Wednesday’s ECNEC meeting, he said.
Monir Hossain emphasised that some media outlets are publishing misleading reports about fuel and gas.
The misinformation can cause confusion and distress, he warned.
The government, however, has taken several additional initiatives to meet current and future demand while enhancing energy supply security.
It includes initiating the tender process for establishing a fourth FSRU, assessing feasibility and completing necessary procedures for importing LNG from Malaysia and reviewing various transportation systems, including pipelines, to bring Bhola’s stranded gas to the mainland in addition to meeting local demand.
Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited (TGTDCL) in a statement, however, said the technical fault at the Maheshkhali FSRU had reduced gas supplies to the national grid by around 450 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd).
The company warned that customers across its distribution network would continue to experience low gas pressure until the fault is rectified.
Consumers supplied by other gas distribution companies have also been affected.
azizjst@yahoo.com