Bangladesh’s deepening energy crisis has pushed the country’s energy import bill to $10.63 billion in FY25-26, up 107 percent year-on-year, while stalling nearly Tk35,000 crore in industrial investment across 1,857 pending gas-connection applications, according to a study jointly presented by the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) and Policy Exchange Bangladesh on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The presentation, titled “Bangladesh’s Energy Security Challenge: Powering a More Competitive Business Climate,” was delivered by Hassib Hasan, Senior Associate at Policy Exchange Bangladesh, drawing on the Bangladesh Business Climate Index (BBX), a joint MCCI-Policy Exchange initiative launched in 2021 to track business-related challenges across the country’s eight divisions.<\/p>\n
The study found the country’s business infrastructure score has declined as reliability, rather than physical access, has become the binding constraint on firms.<\/p>\n
It said 74.2 percent of surveyed businesses reported experiencing power outages “sometimes,” while 19 percent said they often had to make informal payments to secure utility connections. Only 20.1 percent observed any structural or regulatory improvement in infrastructure delivery.<\/p>\n
According to the study, national daily gas demand stood at 3,800 mmcfd against an effective supply of only 2,420 mmcfd, a shortfall of 1,380 mmcfd, or 36 percent of demand.<\/p>\n
Power generation and fertiliser production are being shielded first, it said, leaving CNG stations and industry to absorb the deepest cuts, with CNG supply meeting just 20 percent of demand.<\/p>\n
The supply crunch was traced to a bottleneck in liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports, with the Excelerate floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), with a capacity of 600 mmcfd, shut since a fire on July 21 and only partially restored.<\/p>\n
The study noted that combined import capacity at Maheshkhali is running far below its roughly 1,050 mmcfd potential, while only two of three targeted LNG cargoes were secured in three tender rounds held in August, at rising prices. Domestic gas production, it added, has declined for nine consecutive years.<\/p>\n
Load-shedding data cited in the presentation showed some of the worst-hit districts facing 12-14 hours of power cuts a day. Patuakhali was named among the most severely affected areas, while Chattogram airport experienced 10-12 power cuts daily and industrial production capacity there fell by around 25 percent.<\/p>\n
gas exploration to reverse the nine-year production decline, diversifying LNG procurement through multiple FSRUs and long-term government-to-government contracts, reforming the capacity-charge structure, and strengthening grid and transmission networks to close the supply-demand gap projected beyond 2031.<\/p>\n
The study stressed that energy security must be treated as a strategic economic priority rather than merely a utility issue, warning that officials estimate at least two years will be needed to durably resolve the power and gas shortfall.<\/p>\n
-UNB<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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