Consumers in Chattogram started receiving the imported LNG ( Liquefied Natural Gas) from Saturday following a successful re-gasification of the imported gas by floating storage and re-gasification unit (FSRU).
Chattogram consumers started receiving gas supply from FSRU on Saturday 2:30 pm and it still remains under a supply protocol,” said Engineer Khaiz Ahmed Mozumder, Managing Director of Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Ltd (KGDCL). KGDCL has been entrusted with distributing gas to entire Chattogram and its adjoining areas where the demand for gas is about 500 mmcfd (million cubic feet per day).
Khaiz Ahmed could not exactly say how much gas KGDCL is getting from FSRU or LNG terminal set up at Moheshkhali island under Coxsbazar by private operator Exelerate Energy. He, however, informed that the RPGCL and GTCL have initially assured them of supplying 75 mmcfd which will gradually go up to 300 mmcfd by October-November with the rise in pressure.
“The pressure is not stable yet. Once it gets stable then we can specify as to how much we’re getting,” he said adding that KGDCL was receiving about 220 mmcfd gas from the national gas network before start of the LNG supply.
The KGDCL chief executive said the LNG supply will improve the supply situation in Chattogram and adjoining areas, and the crisis will ease to some extent. State-owned Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited (RPGCL) has been importing LNG from Qatar while another state-owned entity Gas Transmission Company Ltd (GTCL) is entrusted with the responsibility of transmitting the gas to the national grid.
KGDCL officials said they are getting the LNG supply from Anwara point to its ring main line network while the existing Fouzdarhat point is also receiving it from the national network.
The maiden consignment of imported LNG reached the country on April 24 through the FSRU-based ship. But due to some leakages and technical glitches, the RPGCL could not supply the imported gas to the network over the last three months.
The leakages and technical problems were fixed recently and FSRU is getting ready for supplying the gas to the network. The state-owned RPGCL imported the LNG from Qatar and moved for re-gasifying it through the FSRU, set up at Moheshkhali in Coxsbazar district by the US-based Excelerate Energy.
