‘LNG terminal system to shut for 72hrs’
The country’s LNG terminal system will have to remain shut for 72 hours, or three days, for technical coordination after repair work is completed, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud said on Thursday.
He said engineers from the UK and Singapore are currently working to repair the floating LNG terminal, which caught fire recently and triggered an ongoing gas
and power crisis.
“The crisis began because of the fire at the floating LNG terminal,” the minister said while joining a discussion virtually organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) at BRAC Centre in Dhaka.
He said there was little scope for immediate intervention as the government could neither increase gas extraction overnight nor supply additional gas to the national grid until the FSRU becomes operational.
“Until the foreign engineers complete the FSRU repairs, there is little we can do except wait,” he said, adding that the government was trying to manage the available supply to reduce load-shedding and ensure gas for industries.
The minister said that after the repairs, two new boilers would have to be started simultaneously, requiring the entire system to remain shut for 72 hours for technical coordination.
To meet growing demand, the government is also planning to install three more FSRUs by 2029 at Payra, Mongla and Hiron Point. An order has already been placed for one new FSRU, he said.
The government is also exploring alternative ways to ease the industrial gas shortage.
A company has been authorised to operate 30 container trucks to transport gas from Bhola to industrial facilities, while discussions are underway with a Malaysian company to facilitate direct gas supply through containers.
The minister also attributed part of the rising electricity demand to battery-powered rickshaws, alleging that many are charged through illegal connections after midnight.
He said such charging was pushing peak electricity demand to around 18,000MW.
He added that authorities often face attacks while attempting to disconnect illegal electricity connections.
Responding to recent social media claims that a particular business group was being given a monopoly over the fuel oil trade, Mahmud said the government was instead preparing a policy to allow private companies to import fuel oil subject to certain conditions.
He also said import duties on solar batteries and inverters had been reduced to 5% to encourage solar power, while the sector had been granted a five-year tax exemption.
