Gas supply to grid improves as Moheshkhali LNG terminal restarts after 2-week outage
According to Petrobangla, the FSRU started sending around 115 mmcfd of regasified LNG to the national grid from 3am, with gas being supplied through one of its two boilers.
Highlights
- Excelerate LNG terminal resumed partial operations after a two-week outage.
- The repaired terminal restored gas supply to the national grid.
- Chattogram gas pressure improved, easing industrial and household shortages.
- Another LNG cargo awaits unloading to boost gas supply.
The floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal operated by Excelerate Energy off Moheshkhali in Cox's Bazar has resumed partial operations after remaining out of service for the past two weeks following a fire that led to technical issues, restoring gas supply to the national grid and improving pipeline pressure in Chattogram.
Petrobangla Deputy General Manager (Production and Marketing) Engineer Md Shahidul Haque today (6 July) told The Business Standard that repair work on the damaged LNG terminal had been completed and the facility was currently operating in observation mode.
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"Gas supply to the national grid resumed gradually since the early hours of today. The terminal that remained operational throughout has been supplying around 500 million cubic feet of gas, while the repaired terminal is now contributing approximately 230 million cubic feet.
"Supply will increase further after the technical performance is assessed. If everything remains normal, the terminal will soon return to full operational capacity," he said.
According to Petrobangla, the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) started sending around 115 mmcfd of regasified LNG to the national grid from 3am, with gas being supplied through one of its two boilers. Its resumption marks the first step towards restoring normal gas supply, it added.
The Excelerate FSRU has a regasification capacity of 600 mmcfd, although it had been supplying around 450 mmcfd to the national grid before the incident.
"We have resumed operations with one boiler and are gradually increasing LNG supply," said Md Rafiqul Islam, director (Operations and Maintenance) at Petrobangla.
"We are trying to raise the supply step by step. Cargo availability is also essential for increasing regasification," he said.
Rafiqul added that an LNG cargo is currently waiting offshore and efforts are underway to berth it at the terminal. "If the cargo can be successfully docked, we expect to increase gas supply further," he said.
Mohammad Rafiq Khan, deputy general manager of Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited (KGDCL), said Chattogram received 183 mmcfd of gas yesterday and was receiving an even higher volume today.
"We are getting more gas today, and pressure in the pipelines has also increased. The situation has improved," he said.
Severe gas shortage
Chattogram has been experiencing a severe gas shortage for several days after the technical fault at the Moheshkhali LNG terminal curtailed gas supply to the national grid, disrupting industrial production, CNG refuelling stations and household consumers.
In many areas, residents were left without cooking gas for hours, while motorists had to wait between five and eight hours at the refuelling stations, with many spending the night in their vehicles.
The gas crisis began after LNG imports through the Excelerate Energy terminal were suspended on 21 July due to a technical fault, leaving Bangladesh dependent on a single operational FSRU for LNG imports after another terminal had already remained out of service.
Earlier, on 28 July, the Energy Division fast-tracked approval for importing critical spare parts required to repair the damaged FSRU.
After receiving Excelerate's request through Petrobangla, the division approved the import the same day and directed the Office of the Chief Controller of Imports and Exports to issue the necessary permit within one hour of receiving the application.
Petrobangla officials said another LNG cargo has already arrived in Bangladeshi waters and is expected to begin unloading tomorrow, further improving gas availability.
The increased supply has also eased pressure on compressed natural gas (CNG) filling stations and residential consumers, with long queues at the refuelling stations shortening and gas pressure beginning to return to normal in many areas.
Residential consumers also reported an improvement in gas supply.
Md Hasan, a resident of Hamzarbagh in Chattogram, said, "We have been receiving a fairly normal gas supply since this morning. Cooking was completed without any problems."
Officials said the resumption of one boiler at the damaged terminal is expected to ease the crisis substantially for the time being. Gas supply is expected to return to normal once the terminal becomes fully operational.
