Bangladesh's Gas Crisis Sparks Call for Electric Future

As Bangladesh's gas reserves are set to run dry by 2031, the country has been importing costly liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet demand. However, this solution has become another headache due to geopolitical conflicts and prohibitively high prices.

The import cost of LNG has risen from $3 billion in 2024 to $3.8 billion in 2025, covering only one-fourth of the country's total gas supply. According to estimates, the import cost could rise to $8.5 billion by 2029-30 and reach as high as $12-$15 billion per year when Bangladesh completely runs out of domestic gas.

The government has never planned to cap gas allocation for industrial, commercial, or domestic consumers, despite restrictions on new gas connections since 2010. Energy expert Shafiqul Alam emphasized that Bangladesh needs to move from gas to electricity as a solution and cited importing power from neighboring countries like India, Nepal, and Bhutan as a more practical option.

Europe's response to its own gas crisis has offered a crucial playbook for Bangladesh: short-term import mechanisms can buy time, but long-term economic survival requires dismantling dependence on natural gas. The country already has good policies in place to facilitate the switch to power-based solutions, including plans to install 10,000MW of renewable power capacity over the next few years.