Bangladesh Power Crisis Deepens as Gas Shortages Bite
Bangladesh is facing a severe power crisis due to gas shortages, leading to prolonged outages and load-shedding. The government has implemented new measures to conserve electricity, including requiring shopping malls, markets, and shops to close by 8pm. Commercial establishments can now only operate between 11am and 8pm, an hour earlier than the previous deadline.
The gas crunch has pushed power cuts to 12 hours in some areas, with an average of 2,745 MW power shortfall per hour at 8pm. The country's total gas supply fell to around 2,100 mmcfd, against daily demand of about 3,800 mmcfd, due to disruptions in LNG supplies.
The situation could worsen if fresh LNG cannot be received, officials warned. Bangladesh's dependence on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) has added to the pressure, with domestic gas production declining and volatility in fuel and LNG prices increasing due to the Iran crisis.