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Government initiatives to import LNG from alternative sources will help restore gas supplies to normal within the next few days, said Prime Minister’s Economic and Planning Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir.
He made the remarks as the chief guest at a seminar titled “Energy Security in Bangladesh: From Crisis Management to Resilient Energy Transition” at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) on Monday.
The adviser said the prime minister had acknowledged that energy security could not be ensured.
“We are aware of the public suffering. We are not the kind of government that would cover everything up and create a fictional narrative whose consequence would be a catastrophic situation like a bursting balloon,” he said.
Titumir said the government sympathised with the people and entrepreneurs of Bangladesh for failing to ensure energy security.
“This is a failure,” he admitted.
He said current gas demand stood at around 3,800 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD), against supplies of 2,600-2,700 MMCFD. Of the total supply, 1,600 MMCFD comes from domestic sources and around 1,000 MMCFD from LNG.
He said total demand, including pending applications, stood at 5,200 MMCFD and that the government had already taken various initiatives to meet the demand.
Titumir said the process of appointing an operator for the Single Point Mooring (SPM) system was in its final stages.
He added that the jet fuel pipeline from Kanchpur to Dhaka Airport’s third terminal would become operational by November, significantly reducing fuel-discharge complications and logistics costs.
