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Bangladesh’s current energy crisis has been caused by a prolonged lack of emphasis on domestic gas exploration and an excessive reliance on imports over the past 17 years, Power and Energy Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood has said.
He said the country’s energy security had been put at risk because of inadequate progress in domestic gas exploration over the years.
The minister made the remarks at a seminar on the country’s energy crisis organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) at BRAC Centre in Dhaka on Thursday (August 13).
Experts at the seminar, meanwhile, identified structural weaknesses in the relevant ministries and institutions and shortcomings in ensuring energy security as major threats.
They said Bangladesh could not meet its long-term energy needs through imports alone and called for urgent exploration of new gas fields, a shift towards renewable energy and comprehensive long-term planning.
Speakers said the country had been facing an energy crisis for years, while the situation had recently worsened after a floating LNG terminal was damaged in a fire.
The disruption has affected electricity generation and industrial production, they said, stressing the need for immediate measures alongside effective long-term policies to ensure energy security.
Participants said structural weaknesses in energy-sector ministries and institutions had further deepened the crisis. They called for intensified drilling of new wells to utilise the country’s domestic gas reserves and potential, while urging stronger efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and expand renewable energy.
Business leaders said the gas shortage was severely disrupting industrial production. Many factories are unable to operate at full capacity because of inadequate gas supplies, raising production costs and weakening the competitiveness of Bangladeshi industries.
They also claimed that some export orders were being cancelled and shifted to other countries because of gas shortages.
Speakers warned that failure to ensure uninterrupted gas supplies to industries would negatively affect investment and employment. They stressed the need for broader reforms in the management of the energy sector alongside improving gas supplies.
Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood criticised the policies of the previous Awami League government, blaming its approach over the past 17 years for the worsening energy crisis.
He alleged that insufficient attention had been given to domestic gas exploration, while greater emphasis was placed on dependence on imported energy.
As a result, the country’s energy security now faces a major challenge, he said.
The minister said the government was working on an urgent basis to reduce the gas shortage and had taken initiatives to establish new floating LNG terminals.
He said investors had also been invited to establish several new floating LNG terminals in the country.
Experts, however, said new LNG terminals alone would not provide a permanent solution to the crisis. They called for major investment in domestic gas exploration alongside imports and urged the government to expand the use of renewable energy, including solar power.
Participants also called for greater transparency and accountability in formulating and implementing energy policies.
They said energy security must be treated as a national priority and addressed through coordinated, long-term planning to prevent the crisis from worsening in the future.
