Country’s first LNG re-gasification terminal suffers technical glitch

The country might not see any easy solution to gas crisis soon as the country's first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) re-gasification terminal has suffered a severe technical fault. The national gas network system could not be able to take LNG as the Gas Transmission Company Limited (GTCL) has installed a wrong diameter line at 91 KM Moseshkhali-Anwara gas pipe line. Some analysts have shown reservations on the quality of floating storage and re-gasification unit (FSRU) and the pipeline infrastructure.

According to the sources in the Gas Transmission Company Ltd (GTCL), it installed a 30 inch diameter pipeline there, but now it is saying that it needs to be installed around 42 inch diameter pipeline to carry 500 mmcfd of gas into the national grid.

But I do not know anything about the pipeline work. I could only say the national grid will not get any benefit from this line as it could be able to supply only 250 mmcfd of gas into the national grid. According to the officials, the domestic use of gas increases by 10-20 percent during Ramadan. Currently, the total demand for gas is 2050 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) while they can supply only 1750 mmcfd, a shortage of 300 mmcfd is already here, he said.  "We could be able to address the issue only when the supply of Liquid Natural Gas or LNG begins," the Titas official said. "We heard that the gas is not coming before 2019. We do not know what will happen in future, especially in winter," the official said.