DHAKA, Aug 6 - Bangladesh’s natural gas supply is expected to return to normal within the next two to three days as the country’s floating LNG terminal resumes operations following the completion of repair work, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmud said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, the minister said the Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU), which had remained out of operation due to a mechanical fault, would restart gas transmission later in the day.
“The repair work will be completed this afternoon, and gas transmission will resume immediately. Once the flow begins, gas pressure across the network will gradually recover, allowing us to overcome the current supply disruption,” he said.
Asked how long it would take for the situation to normalize, Mahmud said it would require at least two to three days for the gas distribution system to regain the pressure levels that existed before the outage.
The minister acknowledged that the gas shortage had disrupted electricity generation, leading to increased load-shedding in different parts of the country.
“When gas supply declines, households suffer and gas-fired power plants are also forced to reduce or suspend generation. As soon as gas supply returns to normal, the idle power plants will be brought back into operation,” he said.
Responding to criticism over the government’s handling of the energy situation, the minister described the crisis as an unforeseen technical disruption.
“This was an unexpected incident and beyond anyone’s control,” he said.
Commenting on allegations of unusually high electricity bills, Mahmud said many complaints stem from misunderstandings about actual power consumption. He noted that electricity tariffs were adjusted in June and pointed out that despite comparatively lower temperatures than in March, electricity use increased in many households due to greater use of electrical appliances.
Referring to a complaint circulated on social media, the minister said an investigation found that a household claiming its monthly bill had doubled was operating two air conditioners, a refrigerator and several other electrical appliances on a regular basis.
“It is important to assess whether a bill is genuinely abnormal in light of the consumer’s actual electricity usage,” he added.
The minister also said his recent meeting with the Indian High Commissioner was a routine engagement covering issues of mutual interest. Among the topics discussed was a request to increase diesel imports from India through the existing cross-border pipeline to strengthen Bangladesh’s fuel supply.
