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Gas crisis as govt cuts LNG imports
ASIFUR RAHMAN
Acute gas crisis has yet again hit the country as the government reduced import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the international spot market for the last couple of months.
Due to gas supply crunch, domestic users, industries and transport sectors are suffering the most. Officials said the crisis may aggravate further due to the government decision to reduce LNG imports for an extended period amid budget shortage.
According to Petrobangla, the government is now supplying around 2,600 million cubic feet a day (mmcfd) against a demand for over 4,000 mmcfd.
The supply was around 3,000 mmcfd in July, and around 2,800 mmcfd in August and September.
The government had imported three LNG cargoes in July from the spot market but it came down to two LNG cargoes in August and September each. The plan for this month is to import only one cargo.
“Usually the supply is reduced in November-December as per yearly plan,” said Md Shah Alam, general manager (LNG) at Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited, the dedicated organisation for LNG import.
He also said one of the two LNG regasification units will go for maintenance next month, which will further reduce the supply.
PEOPLE BEAR THE BRUNT
“For last two months, we have not been getting gas during the daytime. Now, gas is unavailable from morning till evening,” said Rashida Khanom of Mugda area.
Residents from Mirpur, Banasree and Old Dhaka, and industries in Gazipur, Narayanganj are complaining the most about the gas crisis, according to Titas, gas distributor in Dhaka and adjacent areas.
“Since it is an integrated network, consumers from the last end of the network usually suffer most. Those who are in the first end, get good pressure,” said Md Salim Miah, general manager (operation) of Titas.
Any rationing plan is not possible in the current structure, he said.
Md Fazlul Hoque, vice president of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association, said, “We are helpless. We had a good number of foreign orders but we are anxious if we will be able to ship the products on time.”
“There was always a crisis, but it increased in the last 10-15 days in Gazipur’s Sreepur area. Textile mills in Narshingdi, Maona, Bhaluka and Narayanganj are also facing an acute gas crisis. We don’t get gas for around 12-14 hours a day,” he said.
Hoque said the government assured business people to ensure gas supply when they hiked record gas prices. “But the situation remains the same,” he added.
Farhan Noor Bhuiyan, secretary of Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association, said, “The gas pressure is very low from 7:00am to 3:00pm. We are rationing gas every day from 6:00pm to 11:00pm.”
According to RPGCL, without spot market purchase, it will be necessary to depend on local production and long-term import from Qatar and Oman. The supply is fixed from these two sources.
After a 7-month pause, Bangladesh resumed LNG purchase from the spot market in February this year, while increasing gas price by up to 178.9 percent for industries, power plants and commercial users, with assurance to keep the supply stable.
Despite repeated attempts, Petrobangla chairman Zandendra Nath Sarker could not be reached for comments.