Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Tarique Rahman, has sought Malaysia’s assistance in tackling the country’s ongoing gas shortage, including support for liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies and broader cooperation in the energy sector, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Secretariat, the state minister said Prime Minister Tareque Rahman had written to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim outlining the severity of Bangladesh’s energy crisis and requesting support. The two leaders also held a telephone conversation on Tuesday afternoon (Bangladesh time) to discuss the issue.
“The Prime Minister requested Malaysia’s cooperation in overcoming Bangladesh’s current energy crisis,” Amit said, adding that Mr Ibrahim had assured Dhaka that his government would examine what assistance it could provide and respond after consulting the relevant ministries and agencies.
The minister said the gas shortage had caused widespread disruption, particularly for households, industrial users and public transport, and expressed the government’s regret for the hardship faced by consumers.
Bangladesh meets its gas demand through domestic production and imported LNG, which is regasified at floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) before being fed into the national grid. However, gas supplies were severely disrupted after one of the country’s FSRUs suffered a technical failure following a major fire during a ship-to-ship LNG transfer operation last week.
The reduction in gas supply has affected households, industries, power generation and the transport sector across the country.
Amit said the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, Petrobangla and Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Ltd (RPGCL) were maintaining round-the-clock communication with FSRU operator Excelerate Energy, while local and international experts were working to identify and repair the fault.
He said senior executives from Excelerate Energy met government officials on Tuesday morning and assured them that every effort was being made to restore normal operations as quickly as possible.
The affected FSRU normally supplies around 500 million cubic feet of gas per day. The government expects the terminal to resume supplying between 280 million and 300 million cubic feet per day early next week, with full operations expected by the end of the following week.
The minister said Bangladesh was exploring the possibility of importing LNG from Malaysia, but stressed that discussions extended beyond fuel supplies.
“We are also seeking Malaysia’s experience, technical expertise and other forms of cooperation to strengthen Bangladesh’s energy sector,” he said.
Amit said the government was pursuing both immediate and long-term solutions to improve energy security. Plans include diversifying fuel supply sources so that disruptions at a single facility do not trigger nationwide shortages.
He acknowledged that the current crisis exposed the country’s heavy dependence on FSRUs and said the construction of land-based LNG terminals would provide a more sustainable long-term solution.
Bangladesh is also seeking Japan’s support in expanding energy cooperation, he said, adding that discussions had recently taken place with an adviser to the Japanese Prime Minister on the development of long-term energy infrastructure.
Asked when Bangladesh could expect tangible support from Malaysia, Amit said it would depend on the nature of the assistance offered and the timeline proposed by the Malaysian government, although discussions so far had been positive.
“The suffering of the people is our suffering as well,” the minister said. “The government, the Energy Division, Petrobangla and RPGCL are working around the clock to restore normal gas supplies. The Prime Minister is personally monitoring the situation and providing necessary guidance.”