Fire and Storms Worsen Bangladesh’s Gas and Power Crisis
Bangladesh is facing severe power cuts across the country. Gas supply has dropped sharply, making the situation worse. The daily gas demand for Bangladesh is 3.8 billion cubic feet. But the actual supply has fallen to about 2.13 billion cubic feet. This is the lowest supply in three weeks.
The main reasons for the gas shortage are a fire and bad weather. On July 21, a fire shut down a gas terminal owned by Excelerate Energy, a US company. This terminal has a large capacity to supply gas. Also, a new ship carrying Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) arrived on Monday. But rough seas have stopped it from unloading its cargo.
Aninda Islam is the Minister of State for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources. He said the LNG ship is waiting nearby. He added that the Energy Division is working to increase gas supply quickly. Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation, known as Petrobangla, also said similar things. They hope gas supply may increase slightly if sea conditions improve.
Bangladesh depends heavily on imported energy. Over 65 percent of the energy used in the country comes from imports. This reliance makes Bangladesh’s energy supply easily disrupted by global events or local problems. Previous crises, like the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, also caused power cuts.
The gas shortage has cut power production by almost 1,500 megawatts. Yesterday, power cuts reached a high of 3,465 megawatts. This means many homes and businesses are without electricity for long hours. Power Development Board officials said electricity demand rises with heat. But generation cannot keep up.
Iqbal Hassan Mahmood is the Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources. He said the government is working for a long-term solution to the energy crisis. He also mentioned that the government inherited this problem. They are now actively trying to manage it.
M. Shamsul Alam, an energy expert, said Bangladesh became too dependent on imports too early. He believes that exploring more gas at home could have prevented such a severe crisis. The current government is now focusing on finding more domestic gas. They are also trying to increase renewable energy.
