Gas, power supply to industries to improve from tomorrow, PM assures business leaders

Gas and electricity supplies to industrial units are expected to improve from tomorrow (15 September) evening, as the government says it has resolved the disruption caused by an accident at one of the country's two floating LNG terminals.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman expressed the hope that gas supplies would return to their level before the recent crisis, while Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Administrator Md Fazlul Hoque said the prime minister had assured business leaders that the situation would improve from tomorrow evening.

"Hopefully, InshaAllah, from tomorrow evening, gas supply will return to the level as it was one-and-a-half months ago," Tarique said during an exchange of views with business leaders and media personalities at the Prime Minister's Office at the Bangladesh Secretariat today (14 September).

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Fazlul Hoque said, "Prime Minister Tarique Rahman assured us that from tomorrow night, the situation regarding gas and electricity will return to where it was before the recent crisis emerged."

The three-hour meeting, attended by leaders of 21 business organisations and media representatives, focused on the current challenges and future plans for the country's power and energy sector.

Prime Minister's Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Shiplu said participants discussed electricity, gas, energy and mineral resources, with particular emphasis on industrialisation and employment.

Fazlul Hoque said the energy shortage had affected not only business and trade but also wider sections of society. He added that the government had committed to supporting the business community and industrial growth.

Govt working on third FSRU

Explaining the recent gas shortage, Tarique said the disruption followed an accident at one of the country's two floating LNG terminals, affecting industries and other sectors.

He said the government had already resolved the problem and was also working to expand LNG import capacity.

"To address the supply deficit, we have taken an initiative to set up a third floating LNG terminal. The preparations for setting up another terminal on a G2G basis have largely been completed over the past month. The work will begin soon," the prime minister said.

He expressed hope that the third FSRU could be connected to the national gas supply system by December 2027.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit presented a paper titled Challenges and Future Roadmap of Bangladesh's Power and Energy Sector at the meeting.

Long-term plans for energy sector

Prime Minister's Adviser and Prime Minister's Office spokesperson Mahdi Amin said the government was pursuing several long-term initiatives to address the power crisis, including plans to build five terminals.

He said an energy crisis accumulated over 16 years could not be resolved overnight.

Mahdi Amin outlined a production-oriented and integrated energy framework aimed at achieving greater self-sufficiency by diversifying energy sources.

"We want to diversify our power sector in the coming days so that we become self-sufficient in energy resources while giving the highest priority to solar energy," he said.

The government wants to develop a diversified power generation system based on solar energy alongside oil, gas and coal, he said.

'Inherited problems' need time to resolve

Tarique described the current problems in the power and energy sector as "inherited problems", saying they could not be completely resolved within six months or a year.

"But we have identified the problems, prepared plans and are now at the stage of implementing," he said.

He said the government was working within specific timelines to restore normalcy in power and energy supplies, adding that successful implementation would benefit not only businesses and trade but also the overall economy.

"After assuming office, the government reviewed the problems, held discussions with the relevant stakeholders and prepared plans to address them," the prime minister said.

"Anything needs time, from planning to implementation. The problems in the energy and power sector are inherited. It is not possible to solve them within six months or a year simply by wishing to do so," he added.

The government presented tentative timelines for various planned activities to business leaders. Tarique said there could be adjustments during implementation, but the government had specific plans and timeframes.

Business, media urged to cooperate

The prime minister sought cooperation from business leaders and media representatives in implementing the government's energy plans, warning that instability would ultimately hurt business, trade and the economy.

He said any setback in the business and industrial sectors would have wider economic consequences, making the resolution of the energy crisis a national economic priority rather than merely a business concern.

Uninterrupted and adequate energy and power supplies are essential to achieving the target of turning Bangladesh into a $1 trillion economy by 2034, Tarique said, adding that the government had prepared long-term plans with that objective in mind.

"There is no reason to be disappointed," he said, noting that the business community was already aware of the scale and complexity of the problems.

The government had chosen to present the problems openly rather than conceal them and had also explained its plans for addressing them, he said.

"We wanted to let you know that we are working on this. So, there is no reason to be disappointed," he said.

The prime minister urged the business community to support the government's plans if they considered them logical, saying successful implementation would benefit both businesses and the country as a whole.

Explaining the inclusion of media representatives in the meeting, Tarique said clear communication of government plans was necessary to prevent fragmented information from creating confusion.

He said a better understanding of the plans would enable the media to communicate them accurately to the public.

Tarique also stressed the importance of teamwork in implementing major national initiatives, saying relevant members of the government were working together to improve the lives of people across different sections of society.

The prime minister concluded by calling for cooperation from business leaders and media representatives.

"Please cooperate with us so that we can do something better for you," he said.

Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir, Prime Minister's Adviser on Finance and Planning Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Prime Minister's Adviser on Education, Expatriates' Welfare and Labour and Employment Mahdi Amin, Invest Bangladesh Authority Chairman Ashik Chowdhury, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister ABM Abdus Sattar, Bangladesh Bank Governor Md Mostaqur Rahman, Power Secretary Mirana Mahrukh and Energy Secretary Md. Ziaul Huq were present at the meeting.

Among the business leaders were FBCCI Administrator Md Fazlul Hoque,  BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan, International Chamber of Commerce, Bangladesh President Mahbubur Rahman, BKMEA President Mohammad Hatem, Bangladesh Chamber of Industries President Anwar-ul Alam Chowdhury  Parvez, Acting president of Bangladesh Jute Mills Association Abul Kamal, Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mohammed Amirul Haque, and Bangladesh Agro-Processors Association President Mahbub Anam, among others.

Editor of Daily Manabzamin Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, BNP Media Cell Moudud Hossain Alamgir Pavel, editor of Daily Wada Shafiqul Alam, journalists Ashraf Kaisar, Mustafa Firoz, Abdun Noor Tushar, Akbar Hossain, Shahed Alam, Rezaul Karim Rony, Azizur Rahman Ripon and Tarikul Islam Sourav, and Jahangirnagar University teacher Dr Nahreen Islam Khan were also present.