Gas supply from Excelerate Energy’s floating LNG terminal in Moheshkhali has been suspended due to a shortage of deliverable LNG cargo, reducing the supply of imported gas to the national grid by 105 million cubic feet per day within two days.
According to Petrobangla data, the two floating LNG terminals were supplying 666 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) to the national grid at noon on Wednesday. The supply fell to 561 mmcfd by 8pm.
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A Petrobangla official said the Excelerate terminal was not shut due to a mechanical problem but because its stock of LNG available for regasification has run out.
An official of the Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited (RPGCL) said the usable LNG stock at Excelerate’s terminal ran out around 2:40pm on Wednesday, after which gas supply to the national grid was stopped.
“However, Summit’s terminal remains operational and is supplying around 560 mmcfd of gas to the national grid,” he said.
The Petrobangla official said Excelerate had been supplying gas in small quantities before the supply stopped completely.
“They have a cargo shortage,” he said, adding that one LNG cargo may arrive on Thursday and another on Saturday.
The latest disruption has further strained the country’s gas supply situation. Domestic gas supply stood at 1,628 mmcfd at noon on Wednesday, bringing total supply to 2,289 mmcfd. By 8pm, domestic supply also fell slightly to 1,624 mmcfd, while total supply declined to 2,185 mmcfd.
Thus, overall gas supply dropped by 104 mmcfd, or 4.5 percent, in eight hours.
At 8pm on Monday, LNG supply stood at 666 mmcfd, meaning imported gas supply declined by 105 mmcfd, or 15.8 percent, in two days.
The country’s daily gas demand is around 3,800 mmcfd. At 8pm on Wednesday, only about 57.5 percent of the demand was met, leaving a shortfall of around 1,615 mmcfd.
The two floating storage regasification units (FSRUs) at Moheshkhali have a combined supply capacity of around 1,100 mmcfd. Wednesday night’s LNG supply represented only about 51 percent of that capacity.
Bangladesh has two FSRUs at Moheshkhali. One is owned by Excelerate Energy, while the other is owned by Summit LNG Terminal Company. Both terminals are operated by Excelerate Energy.
The latest disruption comes after a series of interruptions at the terminals.
On July 21, a fire damaged an electrical cable at Excelerate’s terminal, halting around 450 mmcfd of gas supply. The terminal resumed partial operations on August 6 after more than two weeks.
On August 13, Summit’s terminal also went offline, although it resumed gas supply the following day. Excelerate’s terminal was also shut on the same day but later resumed limited supply.
The renewed disruption at Excelerate’s terminal is expected to put further pressure on gas supplies to power plants, industries and other consumers until fresh LNG cargoes arrive.