‘Plan to Increase Fuel Oil Reserves to Six Months’

Planning State Minister Jonaed Abdur Rahim Saki said the country currently has fuel oil reserves sufficient for one and a half months. This will soon be increased to three months. As part of a long-term plan, the government aims to raise the reserve to six months. He made the remarks while speaking to journalists after a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) at the Planning Ministry in Agargaon on Wednesday. The state minister said a recent technical problem at the floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Maheshkhali had caused some disruption to gas supplies across the country, but the problem has already been resolved. He said the country currently does not have sufficient gas and electricity supplies to meet demand. However, to overcome the crisis, the government is placing special emphasis on increasing domestic gas production and generating electricity from renewable sources. The government is also taking coordinated measures to improve the power supply system.

Describing the electricity and energy crisis as temporary, Mr. Saki said the government is working continuously to resolve the existing problems. Gas is being imported regularly from abroad to meet urgent needs. However, he said importing gas alone would not be enough to fully resolve the crisis; the necessary LNG stations must also be established. Mr. Saki said installing new LNG stations would take some time. He assured that the country’s electricity and energy situation would return to normal soon.