"Bangladesh's Energy Plan Faces Gas Dilemma As Fuel Crisis Bites"

"DHAKA - Jobayer Ahmed's textile business on the outskirts of Dhaka is going through a rough patch with the energy crisis in Bangladesh.

Production costs at Shah Fatehullah Textile Mills Limited - which employs about 2,200 workers - have risen by 40% in the last two years, Ahmed said, mainly due to the gas price for the company's in-house power plant having nearly doubled in recent months.

Despite this, "we are still not getting an uninterrupted gas supply, hampering our production," said the third-generation industrialist who runs one of the nation's oldest textile mills.

As Bangladesh's fast-growing economy has shifted to rely more on imported fuels such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet its growing energy needs, volatility in the international market stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine has caused a gas supply crunch and power outages."

Md. Tahmid Zami reports for Thomson Reuters Foundation April 5, 2023.

Source: Thomson Reuters Fdn., 04/10/2023