Download Link for Energy & Power Vol 22 Issue 08 (October 1, 2024) as PDF/userfiles/EP_22_08.pdf

Since the post-COVID-19 period, Bangladesh’s natural gas supply has faced growing challenges, especially in the last two years. Despite repeated government promises to increase local production, the situation remains unchanged. The country now faces a 1,000 MMCFD supply shortfall, and as production declines, the gap is only expected to widen. Gas rationing has already impacted power generation, fertilizer production, and industries, with no immediate solution in sight. Hopes for increasing the LNG imports by 2027 seem dim, and domestic gas fields are not expected to fill the gap in the short term due to depleting reserves. In this challenging situation, the Shahbazpur gas field on Bhola Island offers a glimmer of hope. Recent estimates show the field holds 2.047 Tcf of gas, with 1.432 Tcf considered recoverable. There is even potential for the reserves to grow to 5 Tcf with further exploration. However, the gas remains untapped, mainly because it isn’t connected to the national grid, and local demand is too low to fully utilize the resources.

To truly capitalize on Bhola’s potential, swift policy decisions are needed to build the infrastructure required to bring its gas to the rest of the country. Without action, Bhola’s vast reserves will continue to go unused as they have for nearly three decades.

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