Bangladesh LNG Disruption Deepens Energy Crisis

Bangladesh is facing its fourth week of energy crisis, and it has just gotten worse. One of the country's floating Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals ran out of gas on Thursday evening, causing LNG supplies to plummet below 300 million cubic feet per day from the usual 1,000 million cubic feet per day.

The total gas supply has dropped to around 1,930 million cubic feet per day, which is not enough to meet the daily demand of approximately 3,800 million cubic feet per day. This shortage has severely impacted major industrial zones, CNG-based transport, and household cooking, while also curtailing gas-fired power generation across Bangladesh.

Rural communities have been hit hardest, with some areas experiencing as long as 12 hours of load shedding a day. The deepening crisis has even led to textile mills shutting down in Narsingdi and Madhabdi, resulting in losses of around Bangladeshi Taka 400-500 crore each day.

The government is facing criticism for its handling of the energy crisis, with the Awami League accusing the ruling BNP government of pushing the country into an unprecedented energy crisis. The Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Iqbal Hassan Mahmud, noted that there is no other option to manage the load shedding.