Industries will get an additional gas supply of 250 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) from the existing system.

Energy Adviser Dr. Fouzul Kabir Khan announced this after a meeting with the leaders of the business sector at his office in the Power and Energy Ministry on Wednesday.

He said 150 mmcfd gas will be curtailed from the power sector while 100 mmcfd will be added from the import of four extra LNG cargoes.

The power sector is currently getting 1200 mmcfd gas from Petrobangla.

He admitted that this step will lead to a decline in power generation.

“But we will run more liquid fuel-based power plants to increase the power generation,” he told reporters after the meeting.

He also noted that the government will take measures to increase the gas supply through enhancement of local production and import.

“We’ll import four more LNG cargoes in addition to the existing annual plan,” he said.

Currently, Petrobangla supplies a total of about 2740 mmcfd of gas through production from local fields and imported LNG.

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Of this, about 1,700 mmcfd gas comes from local fields and the remaining 1000 mmcfd comes from imported LNG.

The adviser said that the meeting took a number of decisions including that Titas Gas and industrial investors’ leaders will set up a joint taskforce to oversee and check the illegal use of gas by industries.

Besides, the government and industry leaders will identify the industrial areas to increase the gas supply.

He said the government has been drilling 100 wells which will add about 500 mmcfd gas in the next two years.

Former FBCCI president AK Azad led the business leaders’ delegation.