Gas Supply Increases, Industries Get Priority Amid Ongoing Energy Challenges

Gas supply in Bangladesh has increased after more than a month and a half of disruptions. The prime minister's announcement to increase gas supply to industries led to an immediate rise in supply, starting from Monday night.

Petroleum Corporation (Petrobangla) officials said that industrial consumers are now being given the highest priority for gas supply. Most of the additional gas is going to the industrial sector, with supplies reaching 2.61 billion cubic feet as of Tuesday.

According to Petrobangla sources, daily gas demand stands at 3.8 billion cubic feet, but the situation has been managed by supplying 2.65-2.7 billion cubic feet. Of this, liquefied natural gas (LNG) has supplied up to 1.05 billion cubic feet.

The increase in supply is due to regular arrivals of LNG cargoes, which had been delayed initially due to a fire at a floating terminal and the war in the Middle East. Petrobangla and its subsidiary Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited (RPGCL) have made plans to bring in 10 LNG cargoes in September.

However, the situation with electricity generation remains challenging due to coal shortages and technical problems. Load-shedding has continued across the country for a month, with the highest load-shedding of close to 2,000 megawatts during the daytime on Tuesday.