Gas Shortages Expose Bangladesh Garment Industry's Decarbonization Dilemma

Bangladesh's garment industry is facing an acute energy crisis due to gas shortages and power cuts, which have idled garment lines and raised concerns about meeting export orders on time.

The country's two floating LNG terminals went offline, with one suffering a fire in July. Although the partially resumed operations earlier this month, gas shortages persist, prompting the government to impose electricity-conservation measures last week.

Natural gas is deeply embedded in textile manufacturing, supplying captive electricity generation as well as boilers and steam for processes like dyeing, washing, drying, and finishing. Disruptions at dyehouses can halt garment assembly even when sewing factories have power.

A new study from the Centre for Policy Dialogue found that relying on imported LNG is unsustainable in the long run. The research suggests there's no single technological fix to address the energy problem.