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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 shortage

The 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........

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