LNG Terminal Unit Restarts, Adds 115 MMCF to National Grid

A unit of the Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) at Moheshkhali in Cox’s Bazar has resumed operations after remaining offline for nearly two weeks due to technical problems.

The unit became operational at 3:00am on Thursday and was supplying 115 million cubic feet (MMCF) of gas per day to the national grid by 3:10am, according to Engineer Mohammad Nasir Uddin, deputy general manager of Petrobangla’s LNG Division.

He expressed hope that the country's gas supply situation would return to normal by Thursday evening.

The restored unit is part of the Moheshkhali Floating LNG Terminal, and its return has begun increasing the flow of regasified imported LNG into the national grid.

Bangladesh receives liquefied natural gas (LNG) through floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs), where the fuel is stored, converted back into natural gas and transmitted to the national grid via pipelines.

Moheshkhali hosts two floating LNG terminals. One of them was forced to suspend operations on July 21 after developing a technical fault.

The shutdown nearly halved the supply of imported LNG, disrupting gas availability for power plants, industries, CNG stations and households across the country.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit had earlier said the terminal caught fire before the incident that led to its shutdown.

Speaking on July 27, he said preliminary findings suggested a boiler explosion, although other components might also have been damaged, making repairs more complex and time-consuming.

He added that neither Accelerate Energy, Summit, nor the Bangladesh government had prior experience handling such an incident, describing it as an unprecedented challenge.

The minister had said that once the initial phase of repairs was completed, the terminal would be able to restore gas supply to between 280 and 300 MMCF per day.

Bangladesh's daily gas demand stands at around 3,800 MMCF. Under normal conditions, the country receives about 2,700 MMCF from domestic production and imported LNG combined. Domestic gas fields contribute roughly 1,600 to 1,650 MMCF daily, while imported LNG accounts for around 1,000 to 1,100 MMCF.