Malaysia assures support to ease BD’s gas crisis

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday assured Bangladesh of possible support, including cooperation with PETRONAS to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet the country's urgent energy needs, during a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman sought Malaysia's assistance as the country grapples with a lingering acute gas crisis following damage to a floating LNG terminal that has disrupted gas supplies nationwide.

"Prime Minister Tarique Rahman spoke with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim over the phone earlier on Tuesday and also wrote to him, seeking cooperation to address the country's energy crisis," State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit told reporters at his Secretariat office on Tuesday.

The appeal comes after a fire at the Excelerate Energy-operated floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) off Moheshkhali knocked out around 500-600 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of regasification capacity, triggering severe gas shortages for households, industries, power plants and CNG stations.

Speaking to reporters, Amit said the Malaysian prime minister had assured Bangladesh that Malaysia would explore all possible avenues to support the country and provide feedback after consulting the relevant authorities.

"The prime minister sought Malaysia's cooperation to minimise the gap between gas demand and supply. This is not only for the current crisis but also for finding a longer-term solution," he said.

Meanwhile, in a Facebook post, Anwar Ibrahim said they discussed ways to strengthen Malaysia-Bangladesh relations, particularly in the energy and investment sectors.

"During the telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman, today, we touched on various issues related to efforts to strengthen Malaysia-Bangladesh relations, particularly in the energy and investment sectors for mutual benefit," he wrote.

Anwar said the discussions also covered economic cooperation, including the progress of investments involving Axiata and the potential for strategic cooperation with MMC Port.

He said such cooperation would further strengthen economic ties and create greater opportunities for both countries.

"Malaysia will continue to be committed to strengthening the long-standing friendship with Bangladesh, based on a spirit of mutual respect, pragmatic cooperation, and a commitment to bring benefits to the people of both countries," Anwar added.

Amit said senior officials of Excelerate Energy, including Regional Vice-President Aziz Kassim, had met government representatives and presented their recovery plan.

"We are somewhat reassured after the discussions. Domestic and international experts are working round the clock to restore the terminal," he said.

The state minister said the government now expects the FSRU to resume supplying 280-300 mmcfd early next week, with full restoration expected by the end of next week if repair work proceeds as planned.

He said the government is also exploring alternative LNG supply arrangements with Malaysia while seeking technical expertise and broader energy cooperation.
Amit added that the current crisis had exposed Bangladesh's limited flexibility in LNG infrastructure.

"We have very few alternatives. That's why a problem at a single FSRU has affected the entire country."

He said the government was accelerating efforts to develop a land-based LNG terminal with support from international partners, including Japan, to strengthen the country's long-term energy security.