A high-level committee of the government has refused to give any new gas connections to 1,564 industrial units as production of natural gas in the country is dwindling. A total of 1,564 industry connections were listed to get the green light at a meeting of the committee, headed by the energy adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, and held on Tuesday at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The committee also instructed all gas distribution companies, including Titas Gas Company, to issue letters to the owners of 165 industrial units that they would get gas connections within a month.
Last year, the government had approved 327 new industrial connections, to be given by Titas and Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Companies. Yet, 168 applicants did not contact their distribution companies after being approved. The rest of the approved applications for industries, however, will get their connections as soon as possible, committee sources told The Independent. Recently, The Independent reported that over the past 15 months, most of the industrial units were yet to get gas connections despite recommendations from a high-level government body. On July 12, 2015, the government instructed gas distribution companies to give connections to more than 327 new industrial units. But till now, only 44 industrial units have been connected, with the remainder—283 units—not getting any connections yet.
Sources said the government would consider giving gas connections to the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA)-based industries in future. On the other hand, the applicants of 1,564 industrial units would get gas connections if sufficient gas supplies are available in the near future.
Titas currently has applications for gas connections from 640 new industrial units. The company also has load-increment requests from 550 companies. Karnaphuli has received 152 new industry and 122 load increment applications, and Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company has 60 new applications.
The country’s gas production declined to 2,680 million cubic feet (MMCF) from 2,740 MMCF over the past six months. Not just that, the Bangura, Bibiyana, Moulavi Bazar and Titas fields are getting depleted. A Petrobangla official said no big field would be added over the next year. Imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) would be injected in the national grid line only at the end of 2018. Leaders of the industry associations have expressed anxiety about the gas crisis in the country over the past five years. Mohammed Nasir, first vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers’ and Exporters’ Association (BGMEA), told The Independent, “We are en route to missing the target to achieve USD 50 billion export earnings by 2021 as gas connections are not available. We have always pressed the issue before the government, but it seems that we have failed.” The country currently has a shortage of 700 MMCF of gas per day.