Muhammad Tareq; Dbarta24 – Bangladesh is facing an unprecedented energy crisis as the daily gas supply to the national grid plunged to nearly 1.9 billion cubic feet (bcf)—the lowest level in 16 years—following the total shutdown of Summit’s Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) off Moheshkhali.
The operational halt, triggered by severe sea turbulence and depleted reserves, has left the country grappling with a severe shortfall against a daily demand of approximately 3.8 bcf.
In 2009, Bangladesh’s domestic gas production stood at 1.744 bcf per day, eventually rising to around 2.7 bcf in 2018 solely from domestic fields.
However, due to prolonged stagnation in exploration and declining pressure in aging wellheads, domestic production has plummeted to 1.6–1.7 bcf per day. To bridge the widening deficit, the government introduced imported Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in 2018.
Currently, Petrobangla relies on importing an average of 1 bcf of LNG per day to maintain total supplies around 2.7 bcf. Repeated offshore disruptions, weather hazards, and technical failures have now exposed the vulnerabilities of this high dependency.
The offshore infrastructure consists of two primary FSRUs at Moheshkhali: Excelerate Energy (600 million cubic feet per day capacity) and Summit Group (500 million cubic feet per day capacity).
Following a fire incident on July 21, Excelerate’s unit was taken offline, shifting the supply burden onto Summit’s terminal.
Summit initially maintained supplies between 500 to 560 million cubic feet per day. However, rough conditions in the Bay of Bengal prevented a newly arrived LNG cargo from mooring at the terminal earlier this week.
To prevent a complete depletion, Summit gradually rationed output from 200 million cubic feet on Tuesday to 100 million on Wednesday, before shutting down completely at 5:00 PM on Thursday after reserves ran out.
Excelerate has since partially resumed operation, currently injecting 300 million cubic feet per day into the grid.
Adding to the supply chain bottlenecks, an LNG cargo named Al Hamra, supplied by Saudi Aramco through ADNOC, was rejected by Petrobangla over insurance-related objections.
Acting Chairman of Petrobangla, Md. Abdul Mannan, confirmed that Saudi Aramco has been requested to replace the vessel.
To keep the power sector operational, authorities have reallocated gas allocations—increasing power sector supply to nearly 1 billion cubic feet per day (up from 680 million cubic feet) and allocating 140 million cubic feet for fertilizer production.
Consequently, industrial, commercial, and residential sectors have been slashed to just 850 million cubic feet per day, down from 1.6–1.65 bcf three weeks ago.
This severe rationing threatens widespread disruption across manufacturing industries and export-oriented factories.
Commenting on the ongoing crisis, Energy, Power, and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku stated:
“Until the LNG terminal situation normalizes, the government has no choice but to manage with available resources. It is not possible to suddenly increase gas extraction during a crisis.”
Officials from Petrobangla indicate that if sea conditions improve, preparations to dock the cargo ship at Summit’s terminal could begin Friday night, with regasification and grid supply potentially resuming by Saturday afternoon. However, full recovery remains distant.
Excelerate’s repaired unit requires a mandatory 72-hour testing period before operating at peak capacity, during which its feed must be suspended.
Experts emphasize that without accelerated onshore and offshore gas exploration, Bangladesh’s energy security will remain fragile under the weight of import dependencies and unpredictable maritime weather.