A technical fault at Excelerate Energy's floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in Maheshkhali has disrupted LNG supplies, reducing gas injection into the national grid and intensifying shortages for households, industries and power plants.
The incident resulted in around a 40 per cent reduction in LNG regasification, bringing supplies down to about 600 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) on Tuesday from nearly 1.0 billion cubic feet per day (Bcfd) the previous day, according to Petrobangla sources.
Sector insiders fear that Petrobangla may have to ration gas supplies to industries and power plants, while the state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) may need to increase reliance on coal- and oil-fired power plants to manage the worsening gas shortage.
A Petrobangla official said authorities detected the damage on Tuesday afternoon and subsequently reduced regasification before completely suspending operations.
The incident occurred at the Maheshkhali FSRU, owned and operated by US-based Excelerate Energy, during a ship-to-ship LNG transfer, according to official sources.
A fire was reported at one stage on the FSRU following the incident. However, Petrobangla has not yet confirmed the extent of damage to the terminal or whether the fire directly caused the disruption. It may take at least a couple of days to resume operations of the FSRU, officials said.
Excelerate Energy did not respond to queries until the filing of this report on Tuesday night.
The FSRU disruption has further intensified gas shortages in Dhaka and other parts of Bangladesh, where many households have been left with little or no gas for cooking for much of the day.
In some areas, gas supplies have stopped completely, while factories in major industrial zones have been forced to reduce production due to low gas pressure.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited said the technical fault at the Maheshkhali FSRU had reduced gas supplies to the national grid by around 450 mmcfd. The company warned that customers across its distribution network would continue to experience low gas pressure until the fault is repaired.
Consumers supplied by other gas distribution companies have also been affected by the disruption.
azizjst@yahoo.com
