Gas supply to return to normal within days: PM’s Adviser Titumir

Prime Minister’s Finance and Planning Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir has expressed hope that gas supply will return to normal within the next few days.

He said the crisis could be overcome through various government initiatives and arrangements to import gas from alternative sources.

At the same time, he said the government sympathises with the people over the hardship caused by the energy crisis.

The adviser said the government is sensitive to the people’s suffering. However, he said the government would not try to manage the situation by concealing reality or creating a 'miracle narrative'.

The adviser made the remarks at a seminar held at the auditorium of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) in Ramna, Dhaka, on Monday.

BIISS organised the seminar titled “Energy Security in Bangladesh: From Crisis Management to Resilient Energy Transition.”

Pointing out that energy security is not merely a matter of technology, management or economics, the prime minister’s adviser said it is also a matter of deliberate political decisions by the government. Energy security also depends on how the country’s energy sector is viewed and managed, he said.

Titumir said total gas demand in the country stands at 3,800 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), while current supply is between 2,600 and 2,700 mmcfd. Of this, 1,600 mmcfd comes from domestic sources, while another 1,000 mmcfd comes from liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Titumir said total gas demand, including that of applicants awaiting connections, is expected to reach 5,200 mmcfd. To meet this demand, the government has already taken various initiatives, he said. An agreement has been reached with a Chinese company to establish a 1,000 mmcfd onshore LNG terminal at Matarbari and a 600 mmcfd floating LNG terminal (FSRU) in the deep sea off Maheshkhali. The adviser also criticised the previous government’s policies regarding the drilling of new gas wells.

Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir also said the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant could begin generating electricity in early 2027. However, he said 100 per cent safety would be ensured before the plant is commissioned.

The adviser said the country had 17 days’ worth of diesel reserves last February, but that figure has now risen to 32 days. He said the government is working to build up reserves equivalent to 90 days in the long term.

Titumir also said a pilot project has been taken up to install solar panels alongside a programme to excavate around 20,000 kilometres of canals across the country over the next five years.

He said the initiative could generate up to 3 megawatts of clean energy per kilometre without increasing pressure on agricultural land and while reducing water evaporation.