Dhaka, Aug 14 (SocialNews.XYZ) As Bangladesh’s energy crisis entered its fourth week, the situation worsened further after one of the country’s floating Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals ran out of gas, local media reported on Friday.
Following the disruption on Thursday evening, LNG supplies to the national grid plunged below 300 mmcfd, from the usual 1,000 mmcfd supplied by the two Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRUs), Petrobangla officials said.
The total gas supply has consequently fallen to around 1,930 mmcfd, against daily demand of approximately 3,800 mmcfd. The resulting shortage has severely disrupted major industrial zones, CNG-based transport and household cooking, while sharply curtailing gas-fired power generation across Bangladesh.
Thirty of Narayanganj’s 33 CNG filling stations have halted vehicle refuelling, while CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers blocked a highway in Jamalpur on Thursday, demanding regular gas supplies. In several districts, residents are struggling to cook amid nearly zero gas pressure, leading Bangladeshi newspaper 'The Daily Star' reported.
The deepening gas crisis has begun taking a toll on electricity supply, with load shedding reported in parts of Dhaka from Thursday midnight. Officials from Dhaka Power Distribution Company and DESCO said that power generation came under mounting pressure due to the gas shortage.
Reports suggest that rural communities in Bangladesh have been hit hardest, with some areas enduring as long as 12 hours of load shedding a day.
As the energy crisis intensifies, nearly 80 per cent of textile, dyeing and printing mills in Narsingdi and Madhabdi have shut down, with the industrial area reportedly suffering losses of Bangladeshi Taka 400–500 crore each day, according to industry representatives.
Abdullah Al Mamun, spokesperson for the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association and Managing Director of Abed Textile Processing Mills, said that factory owners would face difficulties in paying workers’ wages, utility bills and loan repayments. He warned that the situation could trigger labour unrest.
“Our garment, textile, and dyeing industries are being pushed towards a standstill. Excessive load shedding is now adding fuel to the fire.” The Daily Star quoted Rashedul Hasan Rintu, President of the Narsingdi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as saying.
On Thursday, Bangladesh’s Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Iqbal Hassan Mahmud noted the government’s limited capacity, saying that there is no other option to manage the load shedding.
Furthermore, Bangladesh’s Awami League accused the ruling BNP government of pushing the country into an unprecedented energy crisis, saying it has continued the “fatal policy inertia” of the previous interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus. The party claimed that daily power outages lasting between six and 12 hours have made life increasingly difficult for people across the country.
Source: IANS
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