The wait for gas has grown longer

Everyone has been hoping that scarcity of gas will be gone as authorities have told citizens but situation has rather worsenned.

The severe gas crisis that has been going on for nearly two weeks has dragged on even further. Factory production is being disrupted, CNG stations have long queues, and people in households are having to stay awake late at night just to cook their meals. Due to the gas shortage, electricity generation has also dropped, leading to increased load-shedding. Meanwhile, the price of LPG has been raised again, putting additional pressure on those who have been relying on alternative options.

Petrobangla Chairman Md. Abdul Mannan told Agamir Somoy that there was hope for an improvement in the gas supply situation by last Saturday. But ultimately that did not materialise. He said, "The people's suffering due to the gas crisis gives us pains as well. We are making utmost efforts to restore the damaged LNG terminal to full capacity as quickly as possible. However, the work is extremely complex and sensitive, so it is taking some time."

He said that one of the two boilers damaged in the fire may be brought into operation within this week. Repair works on it are nearly complete, and final tests and inspections are currently underway. Efforts are also being made to restart the second boiler soon.

Abdul Mannan said the government has not been lacking sincerity. Required spare parts were imported by air from four or five countries on an emergency basis and cleared quickly. Engineers are now working day and night to make the terminal operational. The gas crisis began across the country after a fire from a short circuit occurred on 21 July at the floating LNG terminal operated by Excelerate Energy in Moheshkhali. Following the accident, the terminal was shut down, significantly reducing gas supply to the national grid.

Sources in the energy sector said that before the accident, about 265 crore cubic feet of gas was supplied daily to the national grid. Of this, the two floating LNG terminals supplied 90 to 110 crore cubic feet. With one terminal offline, supply has dropped by about 50 crore cubic feet. Currently, daily supply has fallen to around 215 crore cubic feet.

Sources in the Energy and Mineral Resources Division said Excelerate Energy has asked for until 10 August to fully restore the damaged terminal. If one boiler can be operational before that, an additional 30 crore cubic feet of gas per day will be added to the national grid, which would somewhat alleviate the crisis.

The most severe impact of the gas crisis has been on households. In the capital and various parts of the country, there is little or no gas at stoves for most of the day. Many families are waiting until late at night and, when they get a little gas, they rush to finish cooking all their meals for the entire day.

Kohinoor Begum, a resident of Mirpur-1 area in the capital, said that after staying up late to cook, her entire day's work, including taking her children to school and picking them up, becomes chaotic the next day.

Asma Akhtar, a resident of Naboday Housing in Adabar, said that for several days, there has been practically no gas at their stoves. The same complaint has been voiced by residents of Mohammadpur and many other areas of the capital.

Unable to get gas, some people are buying food from hotels, while others are going to relatives' houses to cook. Many are being forced to light wood stoves on the rooftops or balconies of multi-storey buildings to prepare their meals. Some are using LPG cylinders or induction stoves as alternatives.
It is not just households; the industrial sector has also taken a major hit from the gas crisis. In most industrial areas of Gazipur, Savar, Bhaluka, Narayanganj, and Narsingdi, there is practically no gas pressure. Production has completely stopped in some places, while in others it has been reduced to half. At the same time, increased load-shedding is forcing many factories to rely on diesel-run alternative systems. This has significantly increased production costs.

LPG prices increased amid the crisis. Just as the gas crisis intensified, the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) raised the price of a 12-kg LPG cylinder by Tk 70. As a result, the price of a 12-kg cylinder in the private sector has increased to Tk 1,598, up from Tk 1,528. The new price came into effect from 6:00 PM yesterday. BERC stated that the price was re-determined considering the increase in international market prices of propane and butane, freight charges, trader premiums, and the US dollar exchange rate.

Under the new estimate, the price per kg of LPG has been set at Tk 133.15. Accordingly, the prices of cylinders of various sizes have also increased. Additionally, the price of reticulated LPG has been set at Tk 129.40 per kg, gaseous LPG at Tk 287.50 per cubic meter, and autogas at Tk 73.67 per liter.

Consideration of importing gas from Myanmar. Bangladesh has proposed importing gas via pipeline from Myanmar. As a close neighbor, Bangladesh is prioritizing the expansion of energy cooperation with Myanmar. The minister made this proposal during a meeting with Myanmar's Ambassador to Bangladesh, Kyaw Soe Moe, at the Secretariat yesterday (Sunday) morning. The meeting was held with Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud.

In the meeting, the Power and Energy Minister said that there is significant demand for natural gas within Bangladesh. To meet this demand, Bangladesh is expressing special interest in sourcing energy from Myanmar via pipeline. The Myanmar ambassador received the proposal positively and indicated that there would be detailed discussions on the feasibility of supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG). At that time, the discussion also included bringing back the previous proposal for a pipeline from Myanmar to Chattogram, Bangladesh, for renewed dialogue.