Gas crisis persists as fire-hit FSRU awaits repair

The timeline for restoring gas supply from an Excelerate Energy-operated floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in Moheshkhali remains uncertain after a fire severely damaged critical power, control and instrumentation cables connected to its two boilers, officials said.

According to officials from the Energy and Mineral Resources Division and Petrobangla, the blaze, which burned for more than 15 minutes, caused extensive damage to multiple cable systems essential for operating the FSRU. The incident occurred on 21 July. 

The boilers themselves were not directly affected, but replacement cables are not available locally in sufficient quantities and will have to be imported.

Petrobangla Chairman Md Abdul Mannan told TBS that local and foreign experts were working around the clock to restore operations.

"We are trying our best to start one of the boilers as soon as possible," he said, declining to specify when partial operations could resume.

He said the FSRU operator is searching globally for the required spare parts and will be allowed to import them once they are secured.

Energy Division sources said the damaged power cables supply electricity to boiler motors, fuel oil burners, transformers and pre-heaters. The fire also destroyed control cables responsible for operating fuel and steam valves, interlocks and emergency shutdown systems, as well as instrumentation cables that connect pressure, temperature and level sensors.

Even after the cables are replaced, engineers will need to test the integration of the power, control and instrumentation systems before the terminal can safely resume operations, officials said.

Monir Hossain Chowdhury, spokesperson for the Energy and Mineral Resources Division and Joint Secretary (Operations), said the country narrowly avoided a much bigger disaster.

"Had the fire continued for a few more minutes, the damage could have been irreversible. Fortunately, the boilers were not directly affected. Otherwise, the FSRU could have remained out of operation for six to 12 months, triggering a severe gas crisis," he said.

He added that the Energy Division is closely monitoring the repair work and making every effort to bring in the necessary spare parts from abroad as quickly as possible.

The shutdown of the FSRU has significantly reduced gas supply to the national grid.

Petrobangla data show total gas supply dropped to 2,151.7 million cubic feet (mmcfd) per day on 25-26 July against an official demand for 3,854 mmcfd. Of the supplied gas, only 501.1 mmcfd came from liquefied natural gas. 

Officials estimate that the suspension of Excelerate's operations has taken around 450-500 mmcfd of gas out of the system, disrupting supply to households, industries, transport and power generation.

The power sector has been among the hardest hit. Gas supply to power plants has fallen to around 700 mmcfd from the usual 950-1,000 mmcfd, reducing electricity generation from gas-fired plants to about 4,500MW from the normal 5,500-6,000MW.

The shortage has also intensified hardships for households. Residents in Banasree, Khilgaon, Eskaton, Azimpur and Farmgate told this newspaper that gas pressure, already low in recent weeks, has now fallen to almost zero, forcing many families to rely on electric cookers or LPG cylinders.

The transport sector is also facing disruptions, with long queues reported at CNG filling stations nationwide.