The request follows an acute gas shortage after the shutdown of an Excelerate Energy-operated floating LNG terminal at Moheshkhali and Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company instructing CNG filling stations to stop selling natural gas in open cylinders or gas cascade cylinders not mounted on authorised vehicles, citing safety concerns and regulatory violations.
Two garment trade bodies in Bangladesh have called for temporarily allowing export units to collect CNG in cylinders from filling stations to keep production running.
The request follows an acute gas shortage after the shutdown of a floating LNG terminal at Moheshkhali and Titas instructing filling stations to stop selling CNG in open cylinders or gas cascade cylinders not mounted on authorised vehicles.
A fire at one of the floating storage and regasification units in Moheshkhali damaged critical cables, taking around 450-500 million cubic feet per day of gas supply out of the national grid.
The disruption has affected households, industries, CNG stations and gas-fired power plants, while the government has fast-tracked the import of replacement spare parts to restore the terminal.
A letter by BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan to the Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association said gas pressure in many industrial units has fallen to zero PSI, making it impossible to continue production or meet shipment schedules required by international buyers.
After the BKMEA president discussed the matter with the secretary of the energy and mineral resources division, the trade association said the latter immediately instructed the Titas managing director to ensure that gas collection from CNG filling stations for export-oriented factories continues as before.
BKMEA advised its member factories to comply with all safety requirements and government instructions while collecting gas from CNG stations.
BKMEA informed its members that it expects the current gas supply crisis to continue until August 8, after which the situation is expected to normalize, according to domestic media outlets.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
