Two years needed to resolve the gas, power crises sustainably Muktadir

Industries, Commerce, Jute and Textiles Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir on Saturday said it could take around two years to build the infrastructure needed to permanently address the country’s ongoing gas and electricity crises.

“It will take about two years to resolve the problems and build the necessary infrastructure, including setting up a new FSRU (Floating Storage and Regasification Unit) and laying pipelines,” Muktadir said.
The minister made the remarks while responding to questions from journalists after a district-level workshop on preparing the annual work plan for the 2026-27 fiscal year and reviewing the implementation of the previous year’s plan in Sylhet city on Saturday.

The government has taken new initiatives beyond the conventional system to address the gas crisis, he added.

Under the plan, LNG will be brought in large vessels through relevant Malaysian government agencies, transferred to smaller vessels and then regasified through a floating facility before being supplied to different areas, he said.

The minister, however, said the initiative faces some limitations as additional vessels are not currently available, with Petronas ships engaged in other operations.

He said the Energy Ministry, under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, and all relevant agencies are working to address the situation.

Acknowledging the impact of the gas and electricity shortages on industries and households, Muktadir said businesses are suffering and normal life is being disrupted.

“Everything is correct. However, everyone should understand the situation we have inherited,” he said.
The minister said demand for gas and electricity varies by season, with power demand currently high because of the hot weather. Demand usually falls significantly during winter, he added.

Explaining the recent deterioration in supply, Muktadir said one of the country’s two floating LNG regasification units could not receive gas, while a boiler at the other unit broke down within the past five to 10 days.

He said gas supply to one of the units has already resumed and improvements are becoming visible.
A boiler at the other unit has also been repaired, while work is underway to fix another, he said.

“Once that is repaired, both units will be able to supply gas at full capacity. The situation will then return to what it was about a month ago, and the ongoing disruption to power supply for industries will also be reduced significantly,” Muktadir said.

He said increasing the capacity of fuel terminals and drilling new wells would help the country become more self-sufficient, although completing such initiatives would take around two years.