As the holy month of Ramadan begins, fears of severe gas and electricity shortages have grown, with many anticipating disruptions to daily life and industry. The gas supply has been inconsistent, with residents in many parts of the country, particularly in Dhaka, already facing daily shortages. While natural gas imports have increased, they have not met the rising demand, and supply remains erratic. During Ramadan, consumption is expected to rise further, exacerbating the situation.
In the meantime, load shedding has started in various areas of the country including Dhaka due to the increase in temperature. Electricity production is being disrupted in many power plants due to the fuel shortage. The demand for electricity will also increase in line with the increase in temperature during the month of Ramadan.
As the days of Ramadan go by, gas and electricity shortages will occur due to the heat. Those concerned in the sector fear that production in industries will be disrupted if the situation worsens.
Bangladesh Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources Corporation (Petrobangla) sources said that the demand for gas is currently 3.8 billion cubic feet per day. If 3 billion cubic feet of gas is supplied, the demand can be met roughly.
Currently, 260 to 265 million cubic feet of gas is being supplied. It may increase to 280 to 285 million cubic feet during Ramadan. During this time, more gas will be supplied to electricity than last year. However, increasing the supply of gas to electricity will increase pressure on the industry.
Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan told Bangladesh Pratidin on Saturday that financial arrangements have been made to purchase coal including LNG during Ramadan. In addition, we have also completed the preparation of the equipment that needs maintenance as a technical preparation. 1200 MMCFD of gas will be provided to the electricity sector on priority basis during Ramadan. A hotline has been arranged for each distribution company to deal with electricity problems.
“Whether there will be load shedding during Ramadan will depend on the operation of AC. I have advised not to use AC below 25 degrees. I will monitor the feeders of those who operate AC below this and if they do not follow the instructions, load shedding will be imposed on them. If people do not waste electricity, there will be no more load shedding. And even if there is load shedding at this time, we will provide load shedding equally in cities and villages,” he said.
For a long time, residential and industrial residents in the capital Dhaka and its surrounding areas have been suffering from gas shortage. Most residents do not have gas in their stoves during the day. People have to wait until night or late at night to finish cooking.
As an alternative, many are now switching to alternative methods like LPG, electric stoves, and clay stoves. On the one hand, fuel costs have increased, and residents are paying gas bills even though they do not get uninterrupted gas every month.
Rehana Akhter, a resident of Kathalbagan in the capital, told Bangladesh Pratidin, "We do not get gas during normal times. Ramadan has come, and I am very worried about cooking food during Sehri and Iftar.”
According to Titas Gas sources, residents now have an average demand of 190 million cubic feet of gas per day. But the actual demand is even higher. Now, 155 million cubic feet are available.
According to Power Grid Bangladesh PLC, there was a load shedding of up to 150 MW in the country at 9 am on February 28. In the past one week, the electricity demand has reached a maximum of 12,000 MW. If the temperature increases in the future, the demand for electricity will increase further. This time, the maximum demand for electricity in the summer can reach 18,000 MW.
On the contrary, although the production capacity is higher, more than 12,000 MW of electricity is being produced now. This leaves a power shortage of 5,000 MW of electricity. This is likely to intensify load shedding.
(Translated by Tanvir Raihan)
