Ctg businesses, households suffer gas crisis as LNG supply disrupted by rough weather
The disruption has left more than 6 lakh residential consumers, CNG filling stations, and over 3,000 industrial units struggling to cope with the shortage
Highlights:
- Maheshkhali's 2 floating terminals supply over 1,000m cubic feet gas daily
- As of 4pm yesterday, only 200 million cubic feet could be supplied
- Over 6 lakh residential and industrial gas connections impacted
- More than 3,000 industrial units suffered
- Transport costs have spiked due to the fuel shortage
Chattogram city and its surrounding areas are facing a severe gas crisis after adverse weather conditions forced the suspension of LNG supply from the floating terminals in Maheshkhali, Cox's Bazar.
The disruption has left more than 6 lakh residential consumers, CNG filling stations, and over 3,000 industrial units struggling to cope with the shortage.
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The crisis has hit heavy industries the hardest, with many factories shutting down their boilers and halting production lines. Steel, cement, shipbreaking, corrugated tin, and garment sectors are reportedly among the worst affected.
According to Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited, the daily gas demand in Chattogram ranges from 312 to 350 million cubic feet, but the supply has fallen to just 250-260 million cubic feet in recent days. Gas pressure remains abnormally low, affecting industrial, residential, and transport sectors alike.
Yesterday, gas supply was either severely reduced or entirely cut off in various parts of the city, including Kattali, Khulshi, Agrabad, Halishahar, Bahaddarhat, Chandgaon, Mohra, Baklia, Chawkbazar, and Muradpur. Daily life in these areas has been seriously disrupted.
Long queues of vehicles have been seen at numerous CNG filling stations across the city, where drivers have waited for hours only to find no gas available. This shortage has also led to increased fares for passengers, with drivers charging Tk50-100 above the regular rate.
Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company's General Manager (Operation Division) Engineer Md Aminur Rahman told TBS that the gas supply pressure was significantly lower than usual yesterday, causing inconvenience to consumers. He expressed hope that the situation may improve by the night if LNG supply stabilises.
Chattogram's gas supply is entirely dependent on imported LNG. Any disruption in LNG delivery from Maheshkhali instantly impacts the city's gas availability. There are more than 3,000 industrial units in Chattogram, including about 1,200 heavy industries – sectors that are bearing the brunt of the current shortage.
As per Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company data, Chattogram has approximately 6,01,914 residential and industrial gas connections.
BSRM Group's Deputy Managing Director Tapan Sengupta said due to the gas crisis, they have had to continue production using alternative fuels, which has tripled their energy costs.
Rakibul Alam Chowdhury, Director of BGMEA, told TBS that gas shortages have forced garment factories to halt boiler operations, severely disrupting production. "Unless LNG supply returns to normal soon, I see no way out of this crisis," he warned.
The shortage has affected daily household cooking as well. Sanjida Afroz, a resident of Chatteshwari Road, said gas outages are rare in her area, but since Thursday morning, stoves have not been functioning properly, making meal preparation extremely difficult.
Transport costs have also spiked due to the fuel shortage. Commuter Humayun Kabir, who was waiting at Jamal Khan intersection for a ride to Baluchara, said, "CNG auto-rickshaw drivers were demanding Tk300–400 for a trip that usually costs Tk200, citing the gas crisis as the reason for the fare hike."
LNG supply from Maheshkhali's two floating terminals – which have a combined regasification capacity of 1,100 million cubic feet per day – has been disrupted due to rough seas. Under normal circumstances, the terminals supply over 1,000 million cubic feet of gas daily to the national grid via the state-owned RPGCL (Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited).
The company's Deputy General Manager (LNG) Engineer Mohammad Saifullah Kabir told TBS that the rough sea has prevented normal operations at the terminals.
"As of 4:00 pm on Thursday, only 200 million cubic feet of LNG could be supplied. We are trying to increase this to 600 million cubic feet by evening. Once the weather improves, supply will return to its normal level of around 1,000 million cubic feet per day," he said.
Petrobangla's Deputy General Manager (Public Relations) Tariqul Islam Khan stated in a press release on Wednesday that LNG cargoes could not anchor at the Maheshkhali deep-sea terminal on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the adverse weather, causing a significant drop in supply to the national grid.
This has led to low gas pressure not only in KGDCL areas but also in Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution territories.
