Bangladesh's gas crisis hits factories, homes and transport
The shortage has forced six urea plants to close or curtail output, while hundreds of factories and power plants face cuts.
- Bangladesh faces a severe natural gas crisis that has shuttered major industries, including the Ashuganj Fertilizer factory in Brahmanbaria, triggering widespread power cuts and public protests over fuel shortages.
- Domestic production declined since 2018 as older fields depleted, while the US-Iran war choked liquefied natural gas imports from the Middle East, leaving the nation vulnerable to supply disruptions.
- Hundreds of factories, including textile plants responsible for about 80 percent of export earnings, are cutting production, affecting the country's 170 million people as households consume just over a tenth of gas.
- Trade union leader Md Abu Kawsar warned that idle factories threaten food security, while housewife Nargis Begum noted, "Many households, particularly in rural areas, have switched to wood-burning stoves" amid frequent power cuts.
- Petrobangla chairman Abdul Mannan stated, "The gas crisis will be resolved once we turn to renewable energy," though he acknowledged no specific timeframe, while experts note a single new well costs up to $16 million to drill.
15 Articles
15 Articles
The machinery that used to run day and night to produce the urea needed for agriculture in this country of 170 million inhabitants is now at a standstill. The factory, which employed 1,200 people and produced up to 1,600 tons of fertilizer per day, is now only a rusty carcass, desolates Md Bazlur Rashid, 59 years old, who has worked there all his life. Located in Brahmanbaria, near the Titas gas deposit, it closed in March 2025. It is one of the…
Bangladesh’s gas crunch cripples industry as factories close and power cuts spread
BRAHMANBARIA, Aug 23 — The giant structures of Bangladesh’s Ashuganj fertiliser factory have stood silent for more than a year, as a natural gas crisis shuts industries, triggers power cuts and sparks protests over fuel shortages.Machinery once ran round the clock, using natural gas to produce urea that farmers depended on to grow crops for the country’s 170 million people.Now the state-owned factory, which once employed more than 1,200 people a…
The Economic Times
Bangladesh's gas crisis hits factories, homes and transport
In the face of an acute natural gas scarcity, Bangladesh is witnessing the shutdown of key fertiliser plants, impacting hundreds of factories, including textile producers. This ongoing crisis has resulted in widespread power outages and challenges in household gas supply.
A decision by the Bangladesh government, like one caught in a spider's web, is now severely affecting the country's natural gas production, causing serious damage to everything from textile factories to agricultural fertilizer production. This has led to the closure of many factories, the loss of thousands of jobs and the outbreak of public protests once again.
Bangladesh's gas crisis is worsening. Tensions in the Middle East and a severe gas shortage are shaking the country's economic structure. Economic activity is experiencing a significant decline, reducing employment opportunities. The textile and fertilizer industries have come to a complete standstill. Jobs and food security are in jeopardy, with millions facing unemployment. Food security is also at risk because gas is essential for industry to…
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