Asifur Rahman

Every disruption at floating terminals spirals into national gas crisis

Bangladesh’s rooftop solar industry is nearing a milestone of 1,000 megawatts (MW) in installed capacity, but regulatory and policy barriers could undermine its growth momentum, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

Over 3,000MW of loadshedding recorded yesterday

The situation has deteriorated since the country’s pipeline gas supply dropped by more than 17 percent following the July 22 accident at an Excelerate Energy-operated liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal

Bangladesh is exploring importing LNG from Malaysia in ISO tank containers to supply to industries and power plants directly, potentially providing a faster solution to the country’s gas crisis without requiring a new floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU).

The government is moving to expand the country’s LNG import capacity with another floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) and a land-based facility as domestic gas production continues to decline and the cost of imported gas is rising sharply.

The disruption in liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply has affected households, transport, power plants, and industries across the country, with gas pressure falling sharply.

The government has finalised a draft law to form a single authority by merging at least three investment-related institutions to improve Bangladesh’s position in attracting foreign direct investment.

Delays in obtaining road-cutting approvals from several government agencies have stalled the installation of underground transmission lines under Dhaka Electric Supply Company’s (Desco) power infrastructure expansion project, prompting the utility to seek a two-year extension, according to an official monitoring report.

Bangladesh has for the first time formally brought nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products into the national tax framework, with public health experts warning that the move could legitimise a new generation of nicotine products despite growing global concerns over their health risks.

The government has identified energy security as one of its top strategic priorities for fiscal 2026-27, even as it proposed a nearly 23 percent reduction in the power and energy sector’s allocation from this year’s original.

The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) yesterday raised electricity tariffs at wholesale, transmission, and retail levels, disregarding the objections from different stakeholders.

The government is set to launch exploration offers for all 26 offshore blocks today under a significantly relaxed framework featuring lower qualification thresholds, reduced entry costs and a series of commercial safeguards aimed at lowering investor risk in the Bay of Bengal.

Electricity consumers may face a 13.9 percent increase in retail tariffs in addition to any rise in wholesale electricity and transmission charges, according to the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission’s (BERC) Technical Evaluation Committee.

People should not have to pay for the authorities’ inefficiency, failures, and system losses, consumers said at a hearing on the Power Development Board’s tariff hike proposal yesterday.

The government is planning to charge 21 profitable Palli Bidyut Samitys (PBSs) higher bulk electricity purchase rates.

Electricity consumers are set to face higher bills as the government considers combining tariff hikes with the restructuring of residential billing slabs in a move that could sharply raise costs for middle-range users.

The people will once again have to bear the rising costs driven by idle power generation capacity and soaring global prices of liquefied natural gas, coal, and furnace oil as regulators begin reviewing proposals for a new round of electricity tariff hikes.

Bangladesh will likely have to pay an additional $1.07 billion, or about Tk 13,134 crore, in LNG subsidies during the April–June quarter if global prices remain elevated, according to a new study by a US-based international non-profit.

Bangladesh has embarked on its deepest-ever gas exploration at the Titas field, as the government seeks to unlock untapped reserves far below previously drilled levels and alleviate mounting pressure on its energy supply.