Bangladesh Gas Supply Climbs To 2,610 mmcfd As LNG Recovery Continues

🔥 Bangladesh's gas supply rose to 2,610 mmcfd (million cubic feet per day) at noon on September 15, nearing the level seen before the Excelerate terminal disruption that began on 21 July. The recovery represents a meaningful milestone in the country's ongoing effort to restore gas supply to industrial consumers following weeks of disruption that constrained production across the manufacturing belt.

📊 Petrobangla data shows that of the total, 1,620 mmcfd came from domestic gas fields and 990 mmcfd from imported LNG (RLNG). The increase in LNG supply has improved the national gas supply situation since Monday night. At 10pm on Monday, total gas supply was 2,582 mmcfd, comprising 1,602 mmcfd of domestic gas and 980 mmcfd of RLNG. Earlier, at 8pm the same day, total supply was 2,362 mmcfd, with RLNG contributing 762 mmcfd.

🚢 Excelerate FSRU Recovery Timeline

The Excelerate-operated Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) at Moheshkhali was damaged in a fire incident during a ship-to-ship LNG transfer in July, disrupting gas supply from the terminal for several weeks. The outage reduced imported gas availability and contributed to a sharp deterioration in the country's overall gas supply situation. The FSRU gradually resumed operations in August, but its supply was interrupted again on 19 August after the terminal ran out of LNG, causing national gas supply to fall to around 2,185 mmcfd a day.

On 22 August, the terminal resumed supply, initially injecting around 100 mmcfd of gas into the national grid. The latest rise in RLNG supply to 990 mmcfd has relieved the national gas network, bringing overall supply closer to the pre-incident level, Petrobangla officials said. The 990 mmcfd RLNG contribution is approaching the combined capacity of Bangladesh's two operational FSRUs, which can regasify approximately 1,000-1,100 mmcfd when both are functioning at full capacity.

• 📊 Total gas supply (Sept 15 noon): 2,610 mmcfd
• 📊 Domestic gas contribution: 1,620 mmcfd
• 📊 LNG (RLNG) contribution: 990 mmcfd
• 📊 Previous supply (8pm Monday): 2,362 mmcfd (RLNG: 762 mmcfd)
• 📊 Supply during Aug 19 outage: ~2,185 mmcfd
• 📅 Excelerate FSRU fire incident: July 21
• 📅 FSRU resumption: August 22 (initially ~100 mmcfd)

📜 Chattogram Industries Report Near-Normal Supply

Gas supply to industries in Chattogram had become almost normal, according to industry insiders, while the situation remained largely unchanged in Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Ashulia, Manikganj, Mymensingh and Narsingdi, with only slight improvements reported in some areas. Mohammad Hatem, president of the BKMEA, told The Business Standard that the association hoped the situation would improve from the following day.

Rakibul Alam Chowdhury, managing director of HKC Apparels Limited, a Chattogram-based garment factory, said the gas supply situation there was close to normal, with his factory receiving gas pressure of around 10 PSI. Gas pressure in Chattogram's export processing zones was also reported to be close to normal. The 10 PSI gas pressure at factory level is meaningful — it indicates sufficient pressure for gas-fired boilers and industrial processes to operate at normal capacity, eliminating the need for expensive diesel backup that had been constraining industrial profitability during the gas shortage period.

🌏 Regional Disparities In Recovery

The geographic disparity in recovery — Chattogram near-normal while Dhaka-Gazipur-Narayanganj still constrained — reflects the gas transmission network architecture. Chattogram, being closer to the Moheshkhali LNG terminals, receives regasified LNG through shorter transmission pipelines with lower pressure losses. The Dhaka industrial belt, by contrast, depends on gas transported through longer transmission corridors from the eastern gas fields and LNG terminals, making it more vulnerable to supply pressure fluctuations when overall supply is constrained.

For Bangladesh's RMG sector — concentrated in Gazipur, Narayanganj and Ashulia — the continued gas supply constraint means that factories in these areas may need to continue operating on diesel backup for several more days before full gas supply normalisation reaches the region. The BKMEA president's cautious optimism — hoping for improvement "from tomorrow" — reflects the industry's recognition that recovery is underway but not yet complete across all manufacturing zones.

🤝 What Comes Next

The coming days will determine whether the 2,610 mmcfd supply level can be sustained and whether RLNG contributions can reach the 1,000+ mmcfd level that would represent full FSRU operational recovery. Bangladesh's industrial sector — particularly the export-oriented RMG and textile industries that depend on reliable gas supply for boiler operations, dyeing and finishing processes — will be watching the supply trajectory closely as the country enters the critical autumn production season when export orders for the holiday season typically peak.

If the recovery holds, the gas supply crisis that has constrained industrial production since late July may finally be entering its resolution phase. If supply falters again — as it did during the August 19 interruption — the industrial sector's confidence in supply reliability will be further eroded, potentially affecting investment decisions and production planning for the coming quarters.