Bangladesh's gas supply has fallen by around 450 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) after a technical fault at one of the country's floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, disrupting supplies to industries, power plants and CNG stations nationwide.
The reduced supply has lowered gas pressure in several areas, leaving many CNG filling stations unable to operate normally and causing long queues as motorists struggled to refuel.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Joint Secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division Monir Hossain Chowdhury said technical experts and the relevant agencies were working to repair the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) and restore normal gas supply to the national grid as quickly as possible.
He said the government was also prioritising uninterrupted gas supplies to essential and strategic sectors despite the temporary shortfall.
According to the Energy Division, the immediate cause of the disruption is the technical failure at the FSRU. However, officials said the impact has been amplified by Bangladesh's growing reliance on imported LNG, as domestic gas exploration and production have not expanded sufficiently in recent years.
The ministry said the government has adopted short-, medium- and long-term measures to reduce dependence on imported LNG by increasing domestic gas production. As part of that strategy, Bangladesh plans to drill 100 gas wells in phases to strengthen long-term energy security.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved a Tk 7.29 billion project to drill three gas wells in Begumganj and Sunamganj, supporting efforts to boost domestic output.
The government is also inviting bids under onshore and offshore Production Sharing Contract (PSC) models to attract local and international investment in gas exploration. Officials acknowledged, however, that exploration, drilling, infrastructure development and commercial production require significant time and cannot deliver immediate results.
To strengthen energy security, the government is pursuing several additional initiatives, including inviting bids for a fourth FSRU, assessing LNG imports from Malaysia in ISO tanks and reviewing pipeline and other transport options to connect gas from Bhola to the national grid.
Authorities are also continuing work to drill new wells, carry out workovers at existing fields, increase domestic gas production and diversify both fuel import sources and supply infrastructure to improve resilience against future supply disruptions.
The Energy Division said it expects gas supplies to improve once the technical fault at the FSRU is resolved and apologised to consumers for the temporary disruption.
