Dhaka: Bangladesh is facing mounting pressure to manage worsening gas and electricity shortages, as repeated disruptions to power supplies from Indian sources and interruptions at an LNG terminal operated by US-based Excelerate Energy have further aggravated the crisis.Prolonged load-shedding lasting 10 to 16 hours a day in some rural areas, coupled with inadequate gas pressure for households and industries, has fuelled public frustration and put the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government under growing political pressure.Energy sector officials said the situation became particularly difficult after the West Asia conflict broke out about ten to 12 days after the formation of the present government, as Bangladesh is heavily dependent on imported energy and the region is a major source of its gas imports.The crisis has been further compounded by repeated disruptions at Adani Power’s Godda plant in India and operational problems at Bangladesh’s two floating LNG terminals operated by Summit and Excelerate Energy, but especially at the latter.Some BNP leaders too have blamed international factors and the government’s failure to restore relations with foreign energy suppliers for contributing to the worsening situation.Adani disruption worsens power shortageThe latest disruption came from Adani’s Godda power plant, a vital source of electricity for Bangladesh during periods of high demand. One of its two generating units was forced to shut down on September 10 because of a technical problem, almost halving the plant’s supply to Bangladesh.Power supply from the plant dropped to below 800 MW from around 1,400 MW, causing additional strain on the national power system.The disruption came as Bangladesh was already struggling to bridge a widening gap between electricity demand and supply.The latest technical fault followed a series of disruptions that have affected Adani’s power supply in recent weeks. The plant earlier reduced generation because of severe congestion on the railway network, which disrupted coal transportation to the Godda plant.The affected Adani unit resumed supply after three days, on September 13. But on the same day, one of the two units of the 1,320 MW Rampal coal-fired power plant in Bagerhat shut down because of a technical fault.Rampal, a joint venture between Bangladesh and India, had been generating more than 1,100 MW before the shutdown, according to Bangladesh Power Development Board and Power Grid Company of Bangladesh sources. Its output subsequently fell to below 600 MW.BPDB officials said it would take at least four days to restore the unit.As a result, the resumption of the Adani unit failed to provide the expected relief, keeping the national power supply tight.Adani’s Godda plant has also previously experienced production cuts because of coal shortages and transportation disruptions caused by storms, although generation had recently recovered following improvements in fuel supplies.The power deficit has remained significant. In August, the daily shortfall exceeded 2,300 MW on some days, according to National Grid data.LNG disruptions deepen gas crisisThe power crisis has been compounded by a severe shortage of gas.One of Bangladesh’s two floating LNG terminals at Maheshkhali in Cox’s Bazar was shut down following a fire and technical problems on July 21. The terminal, operated by US-based Excelerate Energy, had been supplying around 450 million cubic feet of gas a day (mmcfd) to the national grid.After remaining shut for more than two weeks, the terminal partially resumed operations on August 6 but was operating at roughly half its capacity.The Summit and Excelerate LNG terminals have a combined regasification capacity of 1,100 mmcfd. However, their full capacity has remained unavailable because of recent operational disruptions.Excelerate’s FSRU was affected by the fire, while Summit has faced difficulties receiving LNG cargoes because of issues related to LNG carrier types, according to industry sources.The problems surrounding Summit’s proposed third floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) have also complicated the country’s efforts to expand LNG import capacity.Summit Group secured the contract to set up Bangladesh’s third FSRU under the previous Awami League government through a special law without a traditional tender process.The interim government cancelled the contract in October 2024, after the July-August uprising, when Summit was preparing to establish the FSRU at Maheshkhali.Summit has since proposed that the BNP government reinstate the contract, but no decision has been taken yet, according to industry insiders.The interim government in Bangladesh cancelled over 30 renewable energy and gas projects, including many solar power letters of intent and Summit’s proposed floating LNG terminal, citing legal, financial and corruption concerns tied to the previous regime’s special power Act. This abrupt halt has severely disrupted the country’s energy transition and aggravated power shortages.Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s domestic gas supply has also fallen sharply.According to the energy division, gas supply averaged around 2,235 mmcfd in August, the lowest level since 2020, against average demand of around 3,860-4,000 mmcfd.The shortage has hit industrial areas particularly hard.Production has been disrupted not only at factories producing essential goods but also in gas- and boiler-dependent industries, including steel, glass and textiles.Government promises reliefAmid the worsening crisis, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman met business leaders on Monday (September 14) and assured them that gas and electricity supplies to industrial units would improve from the evening of September 15.The meeting came after the severe gas shortages of recent months also disrupted power generation and caused widespread hardship for domestic consumers apart from hampering industrial production as noted above, although overall conditions have shown some improvement this month.Speaking at a press conference, prime minister’s adviser Mahdi Amin outlined a plan for an integrated, production-oriented energy framework aimed at achieving greater self-sufficiency through oil, gas and coal while prioritising solar energy.The government is targeting the commissioning of a third FSRU before the beginning of 2028 to ensure uninterrupted energy supplies for industry and businesses, he said, following the prime minister’s meeting with business leaders.Alongside efforts to repair the damaged terminal, the government is planning to expand the country’s floating LNG capacity.“The initial target is to have three FSRUs and later five. We are trying to add the third FSRU before the beginning of 2028,” Mahdi said.The government is also prioritising domestic gas exploration to reduce reliance on LNG imports.Around 150 gas wells are currently being drilled, he said. Once that programme is completed, another 150 wells will be taken up.Plans are also underway to build land-based LNG terminals and expand gas transmission and distribution networks.At another event on August 15, Tarique also apologised to the public for the continuing power and gas shortages and assured them that his government was taking urgent measures to ease the crisis.“I sincerely apologise to the people for the suffering caused by the power crisis … I hope that, with Allah’s mercy, the gas crisis will ease considerably within the next few days,” he said while addressing a cheque distribution and doa mahfil (prayer gathering) organised by local BNP units in Dhaka.Earlier, during the third session of parliament on September 10, the prime minister said the government was aware of the suffering caused by gas and electricity shortages across the country and was taking several measures to address the problems.He recalled that the West Asia conflict had disrupted Bangladesh’s imports of oil and gas as well as the Excelerate terminal’s shutdown. “This added another problem to the crisis,” he said.Tarique said the government had inherited problems left behind in previous years and was trying to address them rather than use the situation as an excuse to avoid responsibility.He also said Bangladesh had become heavily dependent on imported energy, with West Asia serving as a major source of gas imports. “Over the past more than a decade, not the slightest effort was made to extract gas from domestic sources,” he said.Energy crisis becomes political issueThe worsening energy situation has also emerged as a political challenge for the BNP government.On August 7, the 11-party alliance led by the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party announced a series of long marches demanding immediate solutions to the country’s gas, oil and electricity crises.The programmes were announced by alliance chief Shafiqur Rahman, ameer of the Jamaat-e-Islami, during a sit-in at Muktangan in Paltan, Dhaka.The protest also focused on alleged “ghost bills” for electricity, deteriorating law and order and rising prices of essential commodities.The alliance organised a road march from Dhaka to Chattogram on September 5.Another march is scheduled for September 19 in Rangpur and for October 10 in Khulna.A rail march from Dhaka to Sylhet is scheduled for October 24, followed by a grand rally in the capital on November 14.