Dhaka, Bangladesh — Bangladesh is battling severe power shortages and long outages, prompting energy-saving curbs and a request to India for additional diesel supplies.

Bangladesh is battling a severe electricity crunch as fuel shortages, lower gas availability and disruptions to LNG supplies trigger prolonged load-shedding across the country. Rural districts are bearing the brunt, with some areas reporting outages lasting up to 8-10 hours. Demand has been reported at around 18,000 MW while available supply has struggled near 13,000 MW, putting pressure on households, farms and industries.

The crisis has forced the government to introduce emergency conservation measures. Shops, markets and shopping malls must close by 8 PM, while hospitals, pharmacies and food-related businesses remain exempt. The move comes as natural gas shortages continue to constrain electricity generation and an outage at an LNG terminal further tightens supply.

Bangladesh’s power system is heavily dependent on gas, and reduced availability has hit generation at a time of high summer demand. The shortage has been felt across Mymensingh, Barishal, Rangpur, Sylhet, Rajshahi and Khulna, with rural consumers facing some of the most serious disruption.

Reports of vandalism at electricity facilities and threats against power workers have also raised security concerns, prompting requests for police protection around substations, grids and electricity offices.

The economic impact is widening. Farmers are spending more on diesel generators, while shrimp farms face risks when aerators stop during prolonged outages. Restaurants, factories and Bangladesh’s crucial garment industry are also dealing with higher operating costs and production disruptions. Decorative lighting has been restricted as part of the government’s effort to conserve electricity.

Dhaka has now asked India for additional diesel supplies to ease pressure on the energy system. Bangladesh Energy Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood said the request for more fuel was raised with Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi. India already supplies diesel to Bangladesh through the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline.

The cross-border pipeline was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on March 18, 2023. The pipeline has the capacity to transport up to one million metric tonnes of high-speed diesel annually.

Bangladesh is also receiving diesel under a longer-term supply arrangement, and additional volumes from India could provide short-term relief while domestic gas availability and LNG supplies remain constrained.

The immediate challenge for Bangladesh is restoring reliable electricity generation while managing demand during the peak summer period. Additional diesel can support short-term energy needs, but it cannot fully address the underlying shortage of natural gas and vulnerability to LNG disruptions.

Reuters reported that declining domestic gas production has increased Bangladesh’s dependence on imported LNG, leaving the country exposed to supply interruptions and volatile international energy prices.

Until gas supplies improve and affected LNG infrastructure returns to normal operations, households, farmers and industries may continue facing uneven power cuts. The current crisis has once again put Bangladesh’s energy security, fuel diversification and dependence on imported resources at the centre of national attention.