Gas supply rises, bringing relief to industries

The US-based Excelerate Energy’s floating LNG terminal in Maheshkhali resumed operations on Saturday, a day ahead of schedule, after an LNG cargo arrived earlier than expected. The terminal was supplying around 100 million cubic feet (mmcf) of gas as of Saturday afternoon, while officials said full-scale supply would begin around 9:00pm. Combined with 570 mmcf from Summit Group’s nearby floating terminal, total gas supply from the two terminals reached around 670 mmcf by 2:30pm.

Gas supply from the Excelerate terminal was suspended on Wednesday afternoon after its LNG stock ran out and the scheduled cargo failed to arrive, worsening the country’s gas crisis. The shortage also forced 29 gas-fired power plants to shut down, deepening the electricity crisis.
An official of Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company said the vessel Flex Courageous, carrying LNG purchased from the international spot market, arrived at Maheshkhali’s floating terminal at around 1:30pm on Saturday from Cameron, US. The terminal was subsequently brought back into operation. Supply is expected to gradually increase and exceed 500 mmcf after the new cargo is processed. The two Maheshkhali terminals can jointly supply around 1,000–1,100 mmcf of gas.

The LNG supply disruption began on April 21 after a fire broke out in the boiler of Excelerate Energy’s floating terminal. Although the terminal resumed operations after two weeks, it later faced an LNG shortage. Summit’s terminal also remained shut for a period due to a shortage of LNG. With both terminals expected to supply around 1,100 mmcf from Sunday, the gas supply situation is likely to improve. However, uncertainty remains over how long the improved supply will continue, as LNG cargo arrivals have yet to be secured according to monthly demand.