Bangladesh's Gas Crisis Worsens Amid Terminal Fire

Bangladesh's gas crisis has deepened in recent days due to a fire at a floating LNG terminal, disrupting cooking, transport, and industry. The country relies heavily on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG), which accounts for 35-40% of its daily supply.

The fire at the Excelerate Energy-operated terminal has reduced LNG supply by nearly half, leaving households in many areas without access to gas stoves. In Dhaka, residents are struggling to cook, and long queues have formed at CNG filling stations across the city.

Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution PLC, which supplies gas to over 2.7 million residential customers in the capital, has issued a public notice apologizing for the severe low gas pressure. Many households are now buying electric stoves, while some are forced to buy LPG cylinders despite paying monthly pipeline gas bills.

The power sector requires 2.52 billion cubic feet of gas daily, but supply has dropped to 750 million cubic feet. As a result, electricity generation from gas-fired plants has declined to around 4,000 megawatts, down from over 5,000 MW just a few days ago.