Gas crisis deepens in Ctg as supply drops 45%, over 6 lakh consumers hit

More than 6,00,000 consumers under Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company are facing severe hardship as gas supply in Chattogram has fallen by nearly 45%.

The shortage has hit households, industries, CNG stations, hotels and restaurants, while daily load-shedding has further disrupted production, transport, trade and everyday life.

The crisis began after a fire broke out on 21 July at the floating LNG (FSRU) terminal operated by US company Excelerate Energy in Maheshkhali, Cox's Bazar. Karnaphuli said the situation has worsened considerably since last Sunday. Since the fire, only the Summit terminal has remained operational, supplying about 450mmcfd. 

Infographics: TBS

Petrobangla Deputy General Manager (Production and Marketing) Engineer Mohammad Mahmudul Hasan told The Business Standard he had informally learnt that the Excelerate terminal might resume operations today, although no official confirmation had been received. 

Shortfall reaches 45% of demand

Karnaphuli data shows Chattogram's normal daily gas demand is around 350 million cubic feet. Before the crisis, the company received about 250 million cubic feet a day. That fell to 225-230 million cubic feet and has dropped further to just 194 million cubic feet since Sunday, leaving a shortfall of 156 million cubic feet – nearly 45% of demand.

Karnaphuli Deputy General Manager (Engineering) Mohammad Rafiq Khan said the company's allocation had fallen because of the overall decline in national supply.

"We are in regular contact with large industrial customers, requesting they cut usage except for urgent needs," he told The Business Standard. "Abul Khair Group, BSRM, KSRM and PHP have been asked to reduce consumption so that gas can be redirected to industries, CNG stations and residential customers. This is a national crisis, and everyone needs to remain patient."

BSRM Deputy Managing Director Tapan Sengupta said low gas pressure is forcing factories to switch to furnace oil, which costs more than three times as much as gas, driving up production costs. Gas pressure is often less than half of normal – or disappears altogether – making production planning increasingly difficult.

Khandaker Belayet Hossain, former director at BGMEA, said conditions have deteriorated further since Sunday. Low pressure is disrupting ironing sections in garment factories, while prolonged load-shedding is forcing factories to run on generators, adding to costs. 

He said gas supply is currently being suspended for about two hours a day in Agrabad, six hours in Kalurghat, and seven hours in Nasirabad, disrupting factory operations. Despite working overtime, many factories are struggling to prepare export consignments on schedule.

"If this situation persists for a few more days, it could lead to shipment delays, order cancellations and the loss of future orders from international buyers," he said. "At the same time, production costs and financial pressure will increase, undermining the competitiveness of Bangladesh's readymade garment industry."

According to Petrobangla's Production and Marketing Division, the two terminals have a combined regasification capacity of 1,100 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) – 600 mmcfd from Excelerate Energy and 500 mmcfd from Summit. 

Long queues, empty stoves

A visit to the city found queues stretching nearly a kilometre outside the S Alam CNG station in Bayezid, where low pressure has slowed refuelling to a crawl.

"I've been in line since 10am. There's hardly any pressure left. I don't know when I'll get gas," said driver Abdul Hamid.

The shortage has also reduced the number of CNG-run vehicles on the road. Resident Kalyan Barua said he had waited more than half an hour for a vehicle to New Market. At the Sena CNG station in Nasirabad, driver Arif Haider said he could not decide whether to queue for gas or carry passengers.

Md Fakhruddin Islam Shimul, manager of the Fossil petrol pump in Muradpur, said pressure readings, normally around 220 PSI, were fluctuating between 150 and 170, while repeated power outages were halting operations.

Hotels and restaurants are also feeling the squeeze. Mohammad Aslam, cashier at Khwaza Hotel and Restaurant in Kazir Dewri, said the five-to-six-day-old crisis had forced them to cook with firewood and cylinder gas, leaving the premises dirtier, though food prices remained unchanged.

Hamzarbagh resident Mostafa Sadat said the shortage had forced his family to dine at restaurants, as even the brief morning gas supply came with pressure too low for cooking. 

300MW power deficit adds to misery

Residents of Muradpur, Bahaddarhat and Hamzarbagh reported three to four hours of load-shedding over the past 24 hours. Muradpur resident Nezam Uddin said repeated outages at night and in the morning, coupled with the heat, were making it difficult for children to sleep.

Chattogram PDB Chief Engineer Kamal Uddin Ahmed said demand stood at around 1,250MW at 4pm today (3 August) against a supply of about 950MW, requiring roughly 300MW of load-shedding, with the gap fluctuating throughout the day.

KGDCL serves 602,406 consumers – 598,006 residential, 1,199 industrial, 2,911 commercial, 209 captive power units, 70 CNG stations, five power plants and four fertiliser factories.

Officials said more than 600,000 consumers across the residential, industrial, transport, power and commercial sectors are directly or indirectly affected. They warned that unless LNG supply is restored quickly, industrial output could suffer further and public hardship deepen.

Mohammad Shafiqul Islam, general manager (engineering) of the LNG Division at Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited (RPGCL), declined to comment.