Bangladesh Gas Crisis Persists as LNG Terminal Repairs Continue
Bangladesh’s natural gas crisis is expected to persist for several more days as technical teams continue efforts to restore operations at a critical offshore terminal. The disruption, which has severely curtailed gas supplies across the capital and surrounding areas, stems from an accident last Tuesday at the floating storage and regasification unit operated by U.S.-based Excelerate Energy in Maheshkhali.
The failure of the terminal, one of two vital facilities processing imported liquefied natural gas (LNG), has exacerbated an already fragile energy supply chain. While specialized repair crews from the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates have been working on-site since Thursday to salvage the facility's remaining functional boiler, officials from Petrobangla—the state-owned oil and gas corporation—have confirmed that the terminal remains offline. Petrobangla Director for Operations and Mines, Md. Rafiqul Islam, noted that while teams are working incessantly, it remains unclear exactly when full capacity will be restored.
The supply crunch is having a cascading effect on the national economy. With gas accounting for 35% to 40% of the country’s daily supply, the closure has caused daily delivery volumes to plummet from an average of 270 million cubic feet to below 215 million, far below the national demand of 380 million. The energy sector has been hit particularly hard; electricity generation has dropped by approximately 1,500 megawatts, raising concerns over potential power outages. Industrial production, transportation services, and residential cooking have also been severely disrupted, forcing many low-income households to revert to wood-burning stoves.
Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution PLC has issued a notice warning that low pressure will remain the standard for all categories of consumers until the situation stabilizes. In response to the growing public frustration, which has manifested in street protests and widespread outcry on social media, Petrobangla issued a formal apology to the public, acknowledging the ongoing hardship.
Energy experts point to long-standing systemic vulnerabilities as the root cause of the current emergency. Dr. M. Tamim, a prominent energy analyst, noted that the country’s gas sector has been operating with virtually no buffer capacity for years. He argued that the heavy reliance on imported LNG—compounded by declining domestic production—has left the energy infrastructure dangerously fragile. The current crisis highlights the urgent need for a land-based terminal and more robust contingency planning to avoid such catastrophic supply failures in the future.
