Petrobangla has reduced gas supply to power plants to manage a shortage in the national grid following the shutdown of Summit’s floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal for maintenance, aiming to maintain supplies to industrial, household and compressed natural gas (CNG) consumers.
According to Petrobangla's supply data, gas-fired power plants generated 4,600MW of electricity on Tuesday. Generation dropped to 3,500MW on Wednesday, marking a decline of around 1,100MW in a single day.
However, the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) said the reduction did not result in an electricity shortage. Its data showed that electricity demand stood at 13,135MW at 4pm on Wednesday, with the entire demand being met.
An official of Titas Gas said gas supply had declined, but demand was also relatively low as garment factories were closed.
The official said the reduction in gas supply for power generation had not caused an electricity shortage, as power was still being generated using other fuels.
Meanwhile, residential consumers continue to face difficulties due to low gas pressure. Consumers in several areas are experiencing problems cooking as gas pressure in household stoves remains low. Gas pressure at CNG stations has also been affected.
Petrobangla's data showed that the country's total gas supply stood at 2,540 million cubic feet at 8am on Wednesday. It fell to 2,079 million cubic feet at 10am before rising slightly to 2,110 million cubic feet at 2pm.
The 2pm supply level was 430 million cubic feet lower than the supply recorded at 8am.
At 8am on Wednesday, domestic gas fields supplied 1,566 million cubic feet, while imported LNG accounted for 974 million cubic feet.
At 10am, regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) supply fell to 514 million cubic feet. It increased slightly to 540 million cubic feet by 2pm, while supply from domestic gas fields remained almost unchanged during the period.
Summit's floating LNG terminal has been shut down for 80 hours for routine maintenance. The terminal will remain out of operation from Tuesday to Thursday, reducing LNG supply to the national grid during this period.
Petrobangla had earlier warned that the shutdown would result in low gas pressure.
Relevant sources said a combined-cycle power plant requires around 20 million cubic feet of gas per day to generate every 100MW of electricity.
Accordingly, reducing power generation by 1,100MW lowers daily gas demand by around 220 million cubic feet. The reduction in gas consumption by power plants is intended to help manage the supply shortage in other sectors.
