Bangladesh may face increased load-shedding as the government has decided to ration energy amid concerns that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East could disrupt fuel supplies.
As part of the measure, authorities have reduced gas supply to fertiliser factories and power plants. Production has already been suspended at two state-owned fertiliser plants—Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited (CUFL) and Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company Limited (KAFCO).
Officials also cut gas supply for electricity generation by about 50 million cubic feet per day, which led to load-shedding in several parts of the country on Wednesday.
To manage the situation, Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources Corporation (Petrobangla) has initiated efforts to purchase two cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the spot market. Officials said bidders have already responded to the tender, and authorities expect the additional LNG supply to help restore normal gas distribution for fertiliser production and power generation.
The government’s decision comes amid concerns that the conflict in the Middle East could disrupt shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for global energy shipments. Any disruption there could significantly affect Bangladesh’s LNG imports.
Considering the potential supply risk, Petrobangla introduced gas rationing for power generation and fertiliser production. Authorities issued the rationing order on Wednesday.
Petrobangla Chairman Mohammad Erfanul Haque said the government reduced gas supply to both sectors as part of the precautionary plan.
“We have decided to introduce rationing in power and fertiliser production. Gas supply has been reduced slightly in both sectors. However, we have already received responses to our bidding process launched on March 4 to purchase two LNG cargoes from the spot market,” he said.
He added that Petrobangla is planning to procure LNG cargoes from Australia and the United States to compensate for possible supply disruptions. The shipments are expected to arrive around March 15 and March 18.
Petrobangla Director (Operations and Mines) Engineer Mohammad Rafiqul Islam said power plants previously received about 870 million cubic feet of gas per day, but the supply has now dropped to around 820 million cubic feet.
Gas supply to most fertiliser factories has been halted except for Shahjalal Fertiliser Company Limited. Authorities said production at the other plants will resume once gas supply improves.
Currently, the fertiliser sector is receiving about 130 million cubic feet less gas than usual. Fertiliser plants typically require around 170 million cubic feet of gas daily to maintain full production.
CUFL alone produces about 11,000 tonnes of urea fertiliser per day and requires between 48 and 52 million cubic feet of gas for full-scale operations. KAFCO has a daily capacity of about 1,725 tonnes of urea and approximately 1,500 tonnes of ammonia, but production there has remained suspended due to the gas shortage.
Although Shahjalal Fertiliser Company Limited is still receiving gas, officials warned that production at the facility could also stop if the supply situation worsens.
Petrobangla sources said Bangladesh plans to import nine LNG cargoes in March, 11 in April and another 11 in May. Of these shipments, 19 are expected to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Each LNG cargo contains around 3,000 million cubic feet of gas, which is less than Bangladesh’s daily gas demand. Domestic gas fields currently supply about 1,714 million cubic feet per day, while LNG imports usually add between 800 and 1,000 million cubic feet to the national supply.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
