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Bangladesh’s worsening gas crisis is disrupting industrial production, straining households and threatening the country’s export earnings as severe shortages force factories to rely on costly diesel generators while consumers grapple with low gas pressure for cooking.
Industry leaders said persistent shortages of gas and electricity have disrupted production in key export-oriented sectors, particularly readymade garments (RMG), textiles and steel, increasing costs and jeopardising delivery schedules for overseas buyers.
Households in Dhaka and other urban areas have also been bearing the brunt of the crisis, with many residents reporting little or no gas supply during peak cooking hours.
Families have been forced to cook late at night or early in the morning when pressure improves slightly, while many have turned to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders or electric appliances, adding to their monthly expenses.
The crisis has intensified following a technical failure on July 22 at one of the country’s floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs), which cut liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply to the national grid by around 450-500 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD).
Bangladesh’s daily gas demand stands at around 3,800-4,000 MMCFD, while normal supply is only 2,600-2,700 MMCFD, leaving a structural deficit of more than 1,100 MMCFD, according to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources.
Since the FSRU outage, supply has dropped further to about 2,150 MMCFD, widening the shortfall to nearly 1,700
Domestic gas production currently ranges between 1,650 and 1,950 MMCFD but is declining by roughly 150 MMCFD annually as major gas fields become depleted.
Under normal conditions, imported LNG contributes around 1,000 MMCFD to the national grid.
The reduced gas supply has also affected electricity generation.
Gas allocation to power plants has fallen from about 900 MMCFD to 700 MMCFD, reducing gas-fired electricity output from around 5,200 megawatts (MW) to 3,500 MW and leading to power shortages of between 2,000 MW and 3,000 MW nationwide, according to the ministry.
Manufacturers say the twin shortages of gas and electricity have created severe bottlenecks across industrial supply chains.
Export-oriented factories are facing repeated production interruptions, increasing the risk of delayed shipments, financial penalties and order cancellations from international buyers.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Mahmud Hasan Khan said garment factories have struggled to maintain smooth production over the past several weeks because of inadequate gas and electricity supplies.
https://thedailyexpress.news/news/business/1f18f3f5-4815-6630-8128-9b06c5a436ee