Many families are used to dim gas flames when cooking their dinners, however the country expects to face around 4 days of an energy crunch from the 4th of November due to a continued LNG shortfall.
4 Day Energy Crisis
Despite Bangladesh using an average of 3.8 billion cubic feet of gas per day, supply has often been low with only around 2.2-2.3 billion being supplied. Local gas fields have been declining for many years so large amounts of our demand are met by importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) which has been cooled to a liquid form. This means that even a small disruption to supply or operations at the terminal will cause issues.
LNG Shortage Difficult to Solve
LNG is delivered to the country using two floating terminals in Moheshkhali, Cox’s Bazar. One of the terminals was damaged due to a fire on the 21st July causing a drop in supply of around 450 million cubic feet per day. Due to global tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, Qatar have also reduced deliveries planned for 2026. Purchasing additional cargoes is expensive and will need to be paid for in dollars which we are already short on.
Effects of the Crisis
As there is less gas supply to the country, power plants will suffer, meaning load shedding often occurs. This is when areas of the country are intentionally turned off. In previous shortages, there has been a gap of up to 25-30% between demand and generation.
The effects will be easy to predict:
•Low pressure in city kitchens, especially during breakfast and dinner times.
•Long queues at CNG stations, which will cause issues for drivers and those who earn daily.
•Production in garments, ceramics and fertilisers will slow.
•Power cuts will be longer in villages and industrial zones.
How to Survive the 4 Days
Charge phones and power banks ahead of time. Cook during the times of higher pressure to save time. If you can afford it, have a backup LPG cylinder. Don’t panic buy, as this will cause shortages. Small shop owners can change their hours, and factory managers should inform customers of potential delays.
The government is looking into purchasing on the spot market, negotiating with other governments and building a third floating terminal; however, experts say this will take time to resolve.
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