THE problem of gas supply to industries has raised alarm about the continued shortfall in production, warning of shutdown and unpaid wages in export-oriented factories. Four trade bodies in the apparel and ceramic sectors have said that operation in many factories has halved and that the situation could worsen after Eid. For more than a couple of years, power plants, fertiliser factories, households and industries have all faced periodic shortage. Recent Petrobangla data show a daily supply of around 2,692mmcfd against a demand of 4,000mmcfd, a shortfall that has steadily worsened. Domestic gas extraction has declined while import of liquefied natural gas remains low because of a dollar crisis. Failure to implement long-term energy diversification plans and over-reliance on imported liquefied natural gas have compounded the situation. This suggests a systemic policy failure that has unfolded during successive governments. The crisis is perpetuating because it has only been managed in fragments and has never been meaningfully resolved. The energy woes appear to be a failure of planning, diversification and timely investment. Domestic gas production has declined without new exploration.
No significant onshore or offshore field has come online in recent years and the government鈥檚 strategy continues to depend heavily on volatile global gas markets. The allocation of gas has, meanwhile, failed to reflect sectoral priorities. Industries needing uninterrupted supply and high pressure 鈥� such as ceramics or textiles or others that use captive power 鈥� report pressure as low as 0鈥�2psi against a standard of 15. And, the government needs to divert gas towards sectors such as fertiliser often because of poor procurement timing. Gas prices have more than doubled since 2023, yet neither reliability nor transparency has improved. The crisis is not sudden. It is perpetuating, fed by chronic neglect, policy inertia and a lack of foresight. Against this backdrop, the demand for an immediate redress by industry leaders, through price adjustment or supply reallocation, may offer short-term relief but cannot address the underlying vulnerabilities. What is required now is a proper reckoning with the limitations of stopgap gas procurement and the urgent need for sustainable energy planning. And, the needs should be accompanied by medium- and long-term reforms.
THE government should, therefore, act urgently to plug the gap by accelerating the import of liquefied natural gas, temporarily reallocating gas from less urgent sectors and curbing distribution inefficiencies. Gas exploration activities should be resumed, with foreign investments if needed. More important, the energy portfolio should be diversified through renewables and by upgrading grid capacity and phasing out dependency on a single fuel source.
