Bangladesh has decided to extend the suspension of gas supply to CNG filling stations across the country for another hour in an effort to cover for the shortfall in gas production and to boost power generation.
The decision, which effectively shutters CNG stations from 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm, will take effect on Tuesday, according to an emergency notice from Petrobangla, reports bdnews24.com.
The government had instated the 6 pm to 10 pm downtime for CNG stations on Sept 19.
Petrobangla apologised to the people for any inconvenience or suffering caused by the decision.
To ensure that the new directive is followed, gas distribution companies have been instructed to do random checks at CNG filling stations.
Bangladesh’s levels of gas production began to fall last September after technical issues at the floating LNG terminal in the Bay of Bengal and the start of repair work at several gas fields.
From an LNG capacity of 1,000 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), the production of gas at two floating LNG terminals fell to only 400 mmcfd in mid-January. The LNG situation has improved somewhat since then, with production rising to 532 mmcfd. Total gas production in the country is 2,846 mmcfd.
Currently, the total demand for power in the country is 10,000 MW, but it is expected to rise to 12,500 MW in the coming months. A significant portion of this power comes from gas-based power plants.
On Feb 28, power plants across the country used 773 mmcfd of gas, up from 700 mmcfd in mid-January. At the end of April last year, about 1,243 mmcfd of gas was used by gas-based power plants. Those in the sector believe the demand may rise in a similar way this year.
The use of CNG in buses, trucks and cars has become less common in Bangladesh, but three-wheel passenger vehicles, such as the green ones seen on the streets of Dhaka, all run on natural gas.