Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, adviser to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, has said that the government will not allow any new gas connections for households now as the country is currently facing a gas shortage.
However, he said that the situation could be reconsidered if gas supply increases in the future. "After the Bibiana gas field, we haven't discovered sufficient gas wells in the country," he added.
He made these remarks while speaking to reporters after inspecting the Begumganj-4 (West well) excavation work at Ambernagar in Begumganj upazila of Noakhali on Saturday morning.
Commenting on gas pricing, the adviser clarified that the government no longer sets gas prices.
"The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) is now responsible for determining gas prices. They consult with consumers and LP gas importers to set the price of bottled gas, and it is the BERC that has raised the price of cylinder gas in the last two months," he said.
He also added: "If global LP gas prices fall, the prices will decrease in our country as well. Recently, we reduced the prices of diesel, octane, and petrol."
Senior officials from the Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (Bapex), the Noakhali deputy commissioner, and various other officials were present during the inspection.
