Gas and power supply improves

Sadman Safi Pratik

The country’s power and energy sector had been pushed to the brink of collapse due to 15 and a half years of looting, irregularities and arbitrary actions under the fascist Awami League government. The government led by Sheikh Hasina allowed its preferred individuals to set up power plants in the name of quick rentals, funneling huge amounts of state funds into the pockets of foreign companies as capacity payments. From 2009 to 2026 alone, Tk 281,398 crore had to be paid in capacity payments. With no effective initiative taken to explore domestic gas, the entire sector was made dependent on imports. The interim government led by Dr Yunus also failed to take any effective measures, pushing the fuel, gas and power crisis even deeper.

However, the situation began to change dramatically as soon as Prime Minister Tarique Rahman came to power. The benefits of initiatives taken in the power and energy sector under his direct instructions and supervision are already becoming visible. With the floating LNG terminal in Moheshkhali fully operational and gas supplies increasing, the country’s power situation has improved considerably since yesterday. Power Division officials said the overall power situation across the country would become completely normal and stable by the end of this month. With the Moheshkhali floating LNG terminal now fully operational, the power crisis is unlikely to persist as before.

According to sources, gas supply stood at 2,362 million cubic feet on September 13 and 2,375 million cubic feet on September 14. Following Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s assurance, the figure rose to 2,610 million cubic feet yesterday, Tuesday. Petrobangla DGM Tariqul Islam said the government was making every effort to meet the growing demand in the energy sector. In particular, plans have been taken to increase the supply of primary fuels, gas and coal. Notably, LNG supply increased significantly at 9:05 pm on September 14. With 500 MMscfd supplied from MLNG and 480 MMscfd from SLNG, total LNG supply reached 980 MMscfd. In other words, the two LNG terminals together supplied around 980 million cubic feet of gas per day to the national gas grid.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Power Development Board Director (Public Relations) Md Shamim Hasan told Daily Inqilab that total power generation in the country stood at 15,449 megawatts around noon on September 15. Of this, 5,099 MW was generated from gas, 2,517 MW from liquid fuel, 4,801 MW from coal, 222 MW from hydropower, 701 MW from solar and 4 MW from wind. In addition, 886 MW was imported from India through the Bheramara HVDC, 100 MW from Tripura and 1,119 MW from Adani. These figures clearly show that the country’s power generation and supply situation has been rapidly improving following Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s assurance. Gas and coal together accounted for 9,900 MW, or around 64 percent, of total generation. Solar generation of 701 MW also indicates that the government’s priority on renewable energy is being effectively implemented.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman told Parliament on September 10 that the energy crisis would be addressed in coordination with the opposition. He said the government was fully aware of the suffering caused to the people by the gas and power crisis. However, he said the crisis was not created by the current government but was the result of the wrong policies and irregularities of the previous fascist government. He said the problem had not emerged suddenly. During the fascist rule, no effective initiative was taken to extract gas from domestic sources. Against this backdrop, a 10-year plan has been adopted for the energy and power sectors, while some issues are being examined and tested. The Prime Minister’s statement demonstrates that he is personally monitoring efforts to resolve the crisis.

According to the government’s roadmap, 150 wells will be drilled and three LNG terminals will be installed by 2030 to increase gas supplies. The government aims to raise daily gas supply to 5 billion cubic feet within this period. At present, gas supply ranges between 2.3 billion and 2.6 billion cubic feet per day. By this calculation, gas supply will double within four years. At the same time, necessary initiatives have been taken to increase coal production.

Major development plans have also been adopted for the power sector. In particular, the government has announced plans to generate 10,000 MW of electricity from renewable energy by 2030. To encourage private entrepreneurs, the Power Division has announced a package to purchase electricity at Tk 10.50 per unit. Those concerned believe that the announcement could encourage proposals from different sectors to sell 3,000 to 4,000 MW of electricity through net metering by 2030.

In a written statement delivered in Parliament in September 2026, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said the government had taken several immediate measures to address the ongoing gas and power crisis, which would enable the situation to improve soon. In addition, targets have been set to generate at least 20 percent of the country’s total electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and 30 percent by 2040. This will reduce dependence on imported fuel and ensure energy security. The generation of 701 MW of solar power yesterday, as the first step toward implementing this pledge, points to the potential for the future.

Energy expert Professor Dr Badrul Imam said domestic mineral exploration must be given the highest priority in the long term to ensure Bangladesh’s energy security. In particular, the process of involving international organisations in oil and gas exploration in the deep and shallow blocks of the Bay of Bengal should be accelerated. Reducing dependence on imports, even temporarily, would save the country’s foreign currency and bring lasting relief to the power sector. According to the roadmap of the Tarique Rahman government, the plan to drill 150 wells and install three LNG terminals by 2030 is moving toward that goal.

The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), energy experts and researchers say Bangladesh must move rapidly toward renewable energy to reduce dependence on imported fuel and the burden of huge subsidies. Researchers have welcomed the decision in the 2026-27 budget to provide duty and tax exemptions on solar power equipment. Experts say that expanding rooftop solar on a large scale and increasing hydropower imports from Nepal and Bhutan through regional cooperation could eliminate the power crisis in the long term and reduce generation costs by up to 83 percent. Yesterday’s solar generation of 701 MW also indicates progress toward this goal.

Overall, the country is moving toward overcoming the devastating situation created in the energy, gas and power sectors during the tenure of the previous fascist Awami League government and the interim government. Sheikh Hasina’s quick-rental corruption, the looting of Tk 281,398 crore in the name of capacity payments and extreme neglect of domestic gas exploration created the crisis from which Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is now showing a way out. His direct supervision, timely decisions and long-term planning have brought significant improvement to the power situation since yesterday. The full operation of the Moheshkhali LNG terminal, gas supply rising to 2,610 million cubic feet and power generation reaching 15,449 MW are clear evidence of this improvement. It is hoped that the country’s power and energy sectors will return to full normalcy very soon, allowing the people to lead their lives in comfort.