Staff Correspondent

The government on Tuesday once again apologised for the public suffering caused by the ongoing gas crisis, saying it is working on multiple fronts to restore normal supply after a major mechanical fault at a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) disrupted imported LNG supply.

“The technical failure at one of the country’s FSRUs has significantly reduced gas supply to the national grid, causing shortages for industries, power plants, CNG filling stations and household consumers,” State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit said while speaking to reporters at the Secretariat.

He said the government deeply regretted the temporary inconvenience faced by the public and assured that efforts are underway to resolve the crisis as quickly as possible.

The state minister said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman spoke over the phone with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim earlier in the day and sought Malaysia’s cooperation in addressing Bangladesh’s current energy crisis.

According to Amit, the Malaysian Prime Minister assured Bangladesh that his government will take the necessary steps at the earliest possible time to provide whatever assistance might be feasible.

“We have sought their cooperation. They will inform us whether there is any opportunity for an immediate solution. If they can provide one immediately, Alhamdulillah. Otherwise, they will let us know in what form they can extend their cooperation,” he said.

The disruption occurred after a technical problem developed at one of the country’s floating LNG terminals, forcing a temporary suspension of gas supply from the facility to the national gas grid.

The affected FSRU had been supplying around 500-600 million cubic feet of gas daily. Because of the fault, the national grid is currently receiving around 500 million cubic feet less gas each day.

The reduced supply has affected industrial units, power stations and CNG filling stations across different parts of the country. In several areas, low gas pressure has prevented CNG stations from receiving adequate gas, leading to long queues of vehicles and temporary public inconvenience.

Amit said the Energy and Mineral Resources Division held detailed discussions on Tuesday with senior officials of Excelerate Energy, which operates the affected FSRU, to expedite repairs to the damaged terminal.

He expressed hope that gas supply of around 280-300 million cubic feet per day will resume early next week, while the FSRU is expected to become fully operational by the end of the following week.

The state minister also said the government has begun exploring alternative energy sources as part of a long-term strategy to reduce such vulnerabilities.

He said a Japanese delegation, led by an adviser to the Japanese Prime Minister, also held discussions on energy cooperation earlier in the day.

The government, Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla) and the Energy and Mineral Resources Division are working continuously to ease public suffering and are closely monitoring the overall gas supply situation, Amit said.

He expressed optimism that the gas supply situation will improve once the technical problem at the FSRU is fully resolved, while once again apologising to consumers for the temporary disruption.