A cry out for gas

A severe crisis of gas supply for the last two weeks has caused widespread disruptions in homes, industries, CNG stations across the country and also the national power grid.

According to the people affected, the crisis started a day or two after cyclonic storm Remal swept over the country on 27 May. Homes started to get only a few hours of gas, queues at CNG refuelling stations started to get longer and longer and industries started to limit operations as there is no pressure in the supply lines, they added.

The storm's impact added to the country's already existing troubles with gas supply as one of the two floating LNG terminals in the Bay of Bengal suffered damages due to the aftershock of cyclone Remal. 

According to The Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), the gas crisis has significantly impacted production at factories as pressure in supply lines in some member mills has dropped to near zero, severely damaging machinery and halting operations.

The BTMA has already written to Petrobangla regarding the issue, requesting uninterrupted gas supply for industrial owners. It also noted that textile mills have been operating at only 40-50% of their production capacity for the past few months due to the gas crisis.

The letter further said the average gas pressure in BTMA member mills located in Narayanganj, Gazipur, Narsingdi, Savar, Ashulia, Mauna, and other parts of the country has fallen to between zero and 2 pound per square inch (psi) for more than a month.

"Due to the gas shortage, knit mills have almost come to a standstill. The situation has taken a turn for the worse and if this continues, the knitting industry will be ruined," said Mohammad Hatem, executive president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, while talking to The Business Standard.

KM Selim, general manager (accounts and finance) of Modhumoti Tiles Limited in Ulail, Savar, said they had to announce the complete shutdown of their factory on 1 June due to the gas shortage. 

"To keep the factory running, we need a minimum gas pressure of 8 to 9 psi, but since Cyclone Remal hit the country, the pressure has dropped to 0.5 psi."

He further said that the factory employs around 400 workers and incurs a daily loss of at least Tk600,000 due to the closure. Production is unlikely to resume until the gas supply normalises, he added.

Photo: Rajib Dhar

Cooking disruptions at homes

Residents of the capital and its surrounding areas are also facing difficulties in cooking daily meals due to the gas shortage. 

Talking to TBS, Reshma Akter from Fatullah's Kutubpur union said, "We do not get gas on our stove during the day." 

Nabil Islam from Sanarpar, Siddhirganj, said, "Since there is no gas, we ended up buying LPG cylinders. Now, we pay Titas bills and also bear the additional cost of cylinders." 

Moreover, residents have reported of a similar situation in different areas of the capital, including Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Kathalbagan, Moghbazar.

Long queues at CNG refuelling stations

CNG refuelling stations across Dhaka and the rest of the country are experiencing long queues for gas for almost a week. 

Delwar Hossain Pradhan, owner of a petrol pump in Panchabati, Fatullah, said, "I have imported equipment from abroad to set up a CNG filling station, but I am not getting the supply. Some lines have gas, while others have none at all."

Dulal, a CNG driver, said they have to stand in queue for 3-4 hours at least to refuel their vehicles whether it's day or night. "Still there is no guarantee of getting gas. In desperation, we run from one station to another, but the situation is the same in all of them." 

Photo: Rajib Dhar

Impact on power grid 

When asked about the gas shortage last week, Petrobangla's director (operations and mines), Engineer Md Kamruzzaman, told TBS, "As one of the floating LNG terminals has malfunctioned, it will take three weeks to a month to repair it. Until then, gas supply will remain as it is. We are working to overcome the shortage."

According to Petrobangla sources, the normal supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) is approximately 1,100 million cubic feet per day. 

However, since 27 May, following the impact of Cyclone Remal, this supply has fallen below 700 million cubic feet per day. The shutdown of the terminal has reduced LNG supply to the national grid by 400 million cubic feet, leading to severe load shedding.

Industry insiders have indicated that the damage to the floating LNG terminal has resulted in a roughly 15% decrease in gas supply to the national grid.

According to Petrobangla, the daily gas demand in the power sector (grid-based power plants) is 2,316 million cubic feet, but the supply now is between 950 and 1,000 million cubic feet. 

According to information from the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB), as of yesterday night, the electricity demand was 15,091MW, while 15,700MW were supplied. There was a load shedding of 582 megawatts.

While the power generation shortfall has not significantly impacted the capital, it has become severe in rural areas of the country. Most regions of the country, including Mymensingh, Khulna, Pirojpur, and Bagerhat, which are under the Rural Electrification Board, are experiencing power outages for at least 6-8 hours daily.

Savar correspondent Noman Mahmud and Narayanganj correspondent Sabit Al Hasan have contributed to this news article.