Excelerate FSRU resumes LNG supply after 3-day halt, offering relief amid gas crisis
Earlier, on 19 August, supply from the FSRU stopped after the terminal ran out of LNG in storage, aggravating the country’s severe gas shortage.
The Excelerate Energy-operated floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in Moheshkhali resumed LNG regasification and gas supply today (22 August), after a three-day halt due to a shortage of LNG cargo, providing some relief to Bangladesh's worsening gas crisis.
Regasification resumed at around 2pm with an initial supply of about 100 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), which will be gradually increased as operations stabilise.
With supplies from both FSRUs, Bangladesh's total LNG supply stood at around 670 mmcfd, while national gas supply reached approximately 2,300 mmcfd as of 2:30pm, according to Petrobangla officials.
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Engineer Md Shoyeb, director of the Production Sharing Contract Division at Petrobangla and also director of operations and maintenance (additional duty), told The Business Standard, "Excelerate has resumed operation and started supplying gas. The supply will increase gradually."
The LNG cargo supplying the terminal was originally scheduled to berth tomorrow.
However, the vessel arrived a day earlier, allowing the FSRU to resume operations today.
Earlier, on 19 August, supply from the FSRU stopped after the terminal ran out of LNG in storage, aggravating the country's already severe gas shortage.
The terminal had previously remained out of operation following a fire on 21 July during a ship-to-ship LNG transfer operation in Moheshkhali.
The incident forced the terminal to suspend operations and reduced gas supply to the national grid by as much as 450 mmcfd.
The government subsequently moved to fast-track the import of critical spare parts required to repair the damaged terminal.
Excelerate later resumed partial operations, but the terminal's LNG stock was depleted again last week.
Bangladesh relies heavily on two FSRUs in Moheshkhali for imported LNG, with their combined regasification capacity playing a key role in meeting national gas demand.
The latest resumption is expected to provide some relief to power plants and industries that have been facing severe gas shortages in recent weeks.
