Bangladesh Gas Crisis Exposed by Floating Terminal Fire

A fire at one of Bangladesh's two floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals has exposed the country's growing dependence on imported fuel, triggering a nationwide gas crisis.

The disruption began after a fire damaged the floating storage and regasification unit operated by US-based Excelerate Energy off Maheshkhali in Cox's Bazar, forcing the terminal to suspend gas supply.

The outage has cut around 450 million cubic feet of gas per day (MMCFD) from the national grid, widening an already significant gap between demand and supply. Bangladesh currently requires about 3,800 MMCFD of natural gas daily but can supply only 2,700 to 2,800 MMCFD.

The most immediate impact has been felt in households, particularly across Dhaka, where residents have abandoned piped gas altogether during peak hours and are relying on electric stoves, LPG cylinders or traditional clay stoves. Many families have reported little or no gas supply for weeks.