Chattogram is experiencing a severe energy crisis as gas supply from the two floating LNG terminals in Moheshkhali, Cox’s Bazar, dropped by 63 percent due to a combination of technical glitches and adverse weather conditions. The disruption has left the port city facing a nearly 40 percent gas deficit, crippling operations at CNG refuelling stations, halting industrial production, and causing severe hardship in households.
According to data from Petrobangla’s production and marketing division, the combined daily supply from the Excelerate Energy and Summit LNG terminals plummeted to approximately 410 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) against their total regasification capacity of 1,100 mmcfd.
The crisis stems from two simultaneous bottlenecks. One of the two boilers at Excelerate Energy’s terminal is currently offline for maintenance following an operational incident on July 21. Meanwhile, Summit LNG’s terminal has been unable to unload fresh imported gas because high winds and adverse weather have prevented an LNG carrier from berthing safely.
Engineer Md Mahmudul Hasan, deputy general manager (production and marketing) at Petrobangla, stated that technical teams are on standby and full operations will resume as soon as the maintenance is finished and sea weather conditions improve.
Port City Bear the Primary Impact
The supply drop has directly hit Chattogram’s distribution grid. Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Ltd (KGDCL) reported that against the city’s daily requirement of 350 mmcfd, supply dropped to 210 mmcfd—leaving a daily shortfall of 140 mmcfd.
Engineer Md Tajuddin Dhali, general manager of KGDCL’s engineering services department, explained that KGDCL is prioritizing residential consumers and refueling infrastructure to avoid complete system failure, though managing the severe deficit remains challenging.
Across Chattogram, long queues of vehicles have formed outside CNG filling stations. Station operators report that gas pressure readings have dropped significantly from normal levels of 220 to between 150 and 170, extending vehicle refueling times substantially and forcing several stations to suspend operations altogether.
Residential neighborhoods are also reporting severe low-pressure issues, leaving families unable to cook meals. Meanwhile, industrial output across manufacturing units in the region has slowed down due to unreliable energy flow.
Calls for Transparent Gas Bulletins
Addressing the recurring energy disruptions, former BGMEA director Khandkar Belayet Hossain urged the government to publish a transparent “daily gas situation bulletin.” He suggested that the authorities regularly disclose total national demand, production, LNG contribution, sector-wise allocations, and 24- to 48-hour outlooks to prevent rumors and ensure institutional accountability during supply crunches.
Petrobangla officials expressed optimism that gas supply will normalize progressively once the vessel berths at Summit’s terminal and Excelerate completes maintenance on its second boiler.
