Some relief may come today, Saturday, after 25 consecutive days of severe gas shortages. The Summit LNG terminal is now operating at full capacity, while Excelerate Energy’s terminal has partially resumed operations. As a result, gas supply has increased since early Saturday. However, it may take several more days for the gas crisis to ease completely.
Petrobangla oversees LNG imports with the approval of the Energy Division, while its subsidiary, Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited (RPGCL), handles the imports. Two officials involved in LNG supply told Prothom Alo that gas supply from Summit’s terminal began at 4:00am today at 460 million cubic feet (mmcf) and from Excelerate’s terminal at 300 mmcf.
Petrobangla Chairman Md Abdul Mannan told Prothom Alo that gas is now being supplied from both terminals. Summit’s terminal is operating at full capacity, while Excelerate’s terminal is supplying gas partially. The increased supply will provide some relief to consumers, he said.
There are two floating LNG terminals in Maheshkhali, Cox’s Bazar, for supplying imported LNG. US company Excelerate Energy’s terminal has a capacity of 600 mmcf, while local company Summit’s terminal has a capacity of 500 mmcf.
Excelerate’s terminal was shut down after a fire incident on 21 July. This reduced gas supply and worsened the crisis. From household cooking stoves to industrial plants and power generation, operations were disrupted. The reduction in power supply increased load-shedding. Long queues also formed at filling stations as CNG-powered auto-rickshaws and other vehicles struggled to obtain fuel.
More to follow…