Natural gas supply to industrial units rose by 21% in the first four months of 2025 compared to the same period in the previous year, according to Petrobangla.
From January to April 2025, industries received an average of 997 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), up from 823 mmcfd in 2024.
The clarification came from Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry spokesperson Nobel Dey, following sharp criticism from industrial leaders regarding the ongoing energy crisis.
Dey said the government has taken steps to ensure uninterrupted gas supply to industries, including boosting liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports. As part of this effort, an additional 150 mmcfd will be supplied from May 28, 2025.
He noted that the average import cost of LNG is around Tk 65 per cubic meter, while the government sells gas to industrial and captive power consumers at Tk 30.00 and Tk 31.50 respectively—resulting in a subsidy of roughly Tk 35 per cubic meter.
“This clarification is aimed at dispelling confusion and misinformation,” Dey said.
Petrobangla issued the statement in response to remarks made at a press conference on Sunday at the Gulshan Club in Dhaka.
The event was organised by seven major business associations, including the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
At the press conference, BTMA President Shawkat Aziz Russell delivered a blistering critique of the government’s energy policy, alleging that industries—and industrialists—are being systematically destroyed.
Drawing a stark comparison to the killing of intellectuals during the 1971 Liberation War, he said, “Back then, intellectuals were hunted down. In 2025, it’s not just industries—industrialists themselves are being killed.”
In its statement, Petrobangla said it had taken note of “several misleading remarks” made by industry representatives and emphasized that the data reflect a clear increase in gas supply to the industrial sector.
The following table presents the actual supply figures for captive (power generation) and industrial use for the January–April period of 2024 and 2025:
| Month | 2024: Captive | 2024: Industrial | 2024: Total | 2025: Captive | 2025: Industrial | 2025: Total | % Increase in Industrial Gas |
| January | 381 mmcfd | 470 mmcfd | 851 mmcfd | 423 mmcfd | 493 mmcfd | 916 mmcfd | 7.64% |
| February | 397 mmcfd | 471 mmcfd | 868 mmcfd | 420 mmcfd | 510 mmcfd | 930 mmcfd | 7.14% |
| March | 397 mmcfd | 450 mmcfd | 847 mmcfd | 515 mmcfd | 538 mmcfd | 1053 mmcfd | 24.32% |
| April | 354 mmcfd | 372 mmcfd | 726 mmcfd | 556 mmcfd | 532 mmcfd | 1088 mmcfd | 49.86% |