Summit LNG shutdown pushes Bangladesh gas supply to a 16-year low (theclimatewatch.com)

The shutdown exposes Bangladesh’s growing dependence on imported LNG as ageing domestic gas fields decline, while terminal disruptions and cargo problems strain supplies to industry and other sectors. Bangladesh’s gas crisis has deepened after Summit’s liquefied natural gas terminal in Maheshkhali stopped supplying the national grid completely on Thursday, sending daily gas availability down to about 1.9 billion cubic feet, against demand of around 3.8 billion cubic feet. The terminal halted supply at 5 pm because of adverse weather conditions. Summit had continued supplying reduced volumes from its existing LNG stocks after being unable to connect a new LNG cargo to the terminal. The remaining stock eventually reached a critical level, forcing the company to stop supply altogether. The latest disruption has pushed Bangladesh’s gas supply to its lowest level in 16 years. Domestic gas production, which stood at 1.744 billion cubic feet per day in 2009, rose to about 2.7 billion cubic feet in 2018 from local sources alone. But a lack of expected progress in new gas exploration and declining output from older wells have since reduced domestic production to between 1.6 billion and 1.7 billion cubic feet a day. The decline in domestic production has increased Bangladesh’s...