Bangladesh’s gas-fired power plants have a capacity of 11,000 MW, but due to gas shortages, they can only produce around 6,500 MW of electricity. The situation worsened when imported natural gas (LNG) supplies declined. Currently, the country receives a total of 2,100 to 2,200 million cubic feet of gas per day from domestic sources and an additional 650 to 750 million cubic feet from LNG. However, this supply falls short of the required 4,000 million cubic feet of gas demand.
With the construction of new gas-fired power plants totaling 3,061 MW, the question arises regarding gas availability to operate these facilities. To meet their demand, these power plants require a daily gas supply of at least 612 million cubic feet. The existing LNG terminals in the country are unable to increase supply, and the productivity of domestic gas mines is declining.
As a result, power plant owners are obligated to pay capacity payments regardless of electricity production. Experts recommend the construction of new pipelines and exploring alternative fuel sources to alleviate the gas supply challenges faced by the power sector in Bangladesh.