The gas and electricity crises across Bangladesh have intensified, with supply shortages coinciding with high power demand despite some improvement in the situation in recent days.
The country recorded up to 2,259 megawatt of load-shedding at 3pm on Tuesday, according to Power Grid Bangladesh PLC (PGCB). Electricity demand has remained elevated, with peak demand crossing 18,000 MW at times in August, further aggravating pressure on the power system.
According to Petrobangla data, the country's gas demand stood at around 4,000 million cubic feet per day (MMcfd), while production was only 2,380.5 MMcfd in the 24 hours until Monday.
The crisis has been compounded by a sharp rise in international LNG prices amid the Middle East conflict. LNG prices have nearly doubled, while supplies have remained difficult to secure even after the government relaxed procurement rules and offered higher prices.
As a result, disruptions in gas production and supply continue to affect power generation, industries, CNG stations and households.
The gas shortage has left some households struggling to cook, while long queues have formed at CNG stations. Frequent power cuts are also forcing people to endure prolonged periods without electricity, particularly at night.
Industrial production has taken a major hit. Around 70 per cent of the production capacity of gas-dependent factories is reportedly remaining unutilised, putting the export-oriented industrial sector under growing pressure.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu said the gas supply situation had improved somewhat but remained inadequate for industrial production.
He said production in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector had fallen by around 30 to 35 per cent because of insufficient gas supply, with backward-linkage industries suffering the most.
"The government has said it is trying to improve the situation. We have requested the government to resume heavy fuel oil-based power plants instead of relying on inefficient gas-fired power plants," he said.
He also urged the government to divert gas supplied to inefficient gas-fired power plants to industries to help ease the ongoing shortage.
A visit to several CNG stations in the capital on Tuesday found gas pressure had dropped significantly because of reduced supply. Some stations suspended sales for parts of the day, while others operated only one or two dispensing units.
The situation has left CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers frustrated, with many having to wait for extended periods to refuel.
The gas shortage has also disrupted household activities.
Raisa Begum, a resident in the capital's Naya Paltan, told the FE that gas pressure had remained extremely low from early morning until around 1pm, while low pressure also persisted at night.
"Every morning, we struggle to prepare food because there is hardly any gas pressure. The low pressure continues during the day and at night. This has been going on for the last eight to nine days," she said.
Meanwhile, load-shedding has remained particularly severe late at night and in the early morning, mainly because of high residential demand for cooling.
PGCB data showed that the largest supply deficit on August 24 occurred around midnight, when national demand reached 16,851 MW against actual generation of 15,113 MW.
Between 1am and 3am on August 25, demand remained close to 16,000 MW, resulting in load-shedding of between 1,411 MW and 1,688 MW an hour.
The situation improved considerably during the morning. At 10am, load-shedding fell to a 24-hour low of 244 MW, with demand at 14,746 MW against supply of 14,502 MW.
However, by noon, load-shedding had again exceeded 1,000 MW as demand rose to 15,660 MW, underscoring the continued difficulty in maintaining uninterrupted power supply during peak periods.
Raisa Begum said her area had also been experiencing frequent power cuts. According to her, electricity goes out two to three times a day, with each outage lasting around an hour.
"The situation is becoming unbearable. We do not know when the gas pressure will return to normal, while the frequent power cuts are adding to our problems," she said.
Shahidul Islam, a villager in Rangpur, told the FE over phone that the electricity situation had improved somewhat over the past two days, although load-shedding continued for much of the day and night.
"Before the past two days, the situation was much worse. We would get electricity for only about 30 minutes, followed by around one and a half hours of load-shedding. The frequent power cuts have made everyday life extremely difficult," he said.
Shafiqul Alam, lead energy analyst for Bangladesh at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), said the current power crisis was being driven by both gas shortages and high electricity demand.
"A combination of gas supply shortage and high power demand has intensified load-shedding in the country. Even in August, peak electricity demand is at times crossing 18,000 MW, aggravating the crisis," he said.
While load-shedding surged to around 3,500 MW during mid-August due to disruptions in gas supply from the Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU), it has slightly improved in the last several days, he said.
However, he said many industries were still operating at only a fraction of their capacity because of shortages of gas and electricity.
He said the government was planning to increase generation from heavy fuel oil (HFO)-based power plants so that more gas could be diverted to industries.
However, he stressed the need for longer-term measures to prepare for the next summer.
As the government has pledged to add 10,450 MW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, Alam said it should target installing around 1,000 MW of rooftop solar capacity by March 2027.
He also called for incentives to encourage industries to rapidly expand rooftop solar systems alongside battery storage.
"This will help industries meet part of their electricity demand and reduce pressure on the national grid," he said.
Alam said the commissioning of Unit-1 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant could also provide some relief to the power system once it becomes fully operational.
"With the first unit of the nuclear power plant undergoing the final round of tests, if it can be made fully operational by March, it may help ease the pressure on the power system," he said.
He also stressed the need for the government to ensure adequate fuel supplies to support power generation.
Earlier, on August 16, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said the country's gas and electricity crisis would take at least two years to resolve.
"The problems with gas and electricity will not be resolved in six months or a year. It will take at least two years," he said.
