Energy crisis costs industries Tk 2,387cr daily

The ongoing energy crisis in Bangladesh is severely hampering industrial production in the country with industry loss estimated at Tk 2,387 crore per day.

It affects industries along with pharmaceuticals, textiles, ceramics, sugar industries, SMEs and services. The industrial growth dropped to 2.86% in the 2025-26 fiscal year compared to 3.71% in the last fiscal year.

The figures were shared during a roundtable conference entitled “Bangladesh Power and Energy Crisis: Ensuring Reliable Infrastructure to Have Better Business Environment,” organized by the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce & Industries (MCCI) and Policy Exchange Bangladesh in Dhaka on Sunday.

As per the keynote paper, energy import has gone up to 62.5% from 47.7% in the last four years. Besides, there are 1,857 pending applications for new gas connections, leaving roughly Tk 35,000 crore industrial investment unutilized.

Industrial zones suffer most. Over 300 factories remain closed in Narsingdi and almost 900 of 1,850 factories are stopped working in Narayanganj. In Gazipur industries get only 250-270 million cubic feet gas when daily consumption needs are 590-600 million cubic feet. Thus 18-22% factories remain closed.

Habiganj is incurring daily loss of over Tk 1,000 crore as a result of complete stoppage of gas to 171 factories. Chattogram industrial capacity is reduced by 25% and the production of knit wear and dying is reduced to 30-50%.

They said that energy shortage hampers industrial competitiveness and increases cost. They emphasized that export-oriented industries should be prioritized regarding energy allocation and load shedding schedule should be advanced and reliable.