Bangladesh Apparel Factories Reopen Amid Ongoing Gas Shortage
Apparel factories in Bangladesh have begun to reopen after a gas shortage forced many of them to cut production or shut down altogether. The crisis was caused by an accident at one of the country's two floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) in early July, which reduced the nationwide supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by more than 17 percent.
The shortage led to long queues at CNG filling stations, households struggling to cook with piped gas, and factories halting production or shutting down. Over 200 small and subcontracting garment factories in Gazipur sent their workers on a three-day leave last week due to the severe shortage.
However, after the FSRU at Cox's Bazar was partly repaired on Thursday, gas supplies began to improve. By Friday, the terminal operated by Excelerate Energy was able to supply about 115 million cubic feet of gas a day to the national grid.
Despite this improvement, factories are still facing gas shortages and running at reduced capacities. The situation has caused concern for apparel manufacturers, who rely on timely shipments to Western markets during the peak Christmas season.