Staff Reporter:
Ruling out any fuel crisis, energy ministry officials yesterday said the country currently has 344,000 tonnes of diesel in stock.
Energy Ministry spokesperson and Joint Secretary Monir Hossain Chowdhury said the existing fuel stock is sufficient to meet current demand and that the country’s fuel supply chain remains stable.
“The country has sufficient fuel stocks, including enough diesel for 31 days, octane for 36 days, petrol for 20 days, furnace oil for 25 days and jet fuel for 20 days,” he said while addressing a press briefing at the ministry’s conference room.
Chowdhury said the current diesel stock is above the normal level and is sufficient to ensure an uninter-rupted supply throughout July and August.
Referring to recent media reports on fuel and natural gas, he said, “We want people to receive accurate information through the media so that unnecessary rumours do not create confusion.”
He said the government is working to gradually increase the country’s strategic fuel reserve from the current level to 60 days, with a long-term goal of maintaining a 90-day reserve.
“An additional 140,000 tonnes of diesel is scheduled to arrive by July 31, while another 240,000 tonnes is expected to arrive in August, further strengthening the country’s fuel stocks,” he said.
Regarding natural gas, he said Bangladesh continues to face a long-standing supply deficit, as daily de-mand stands at around 3,800 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), while total supply from domestic sources and imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) is only 2,700-2,800 mmcfd.
Chowdhury said the government has stepped up gas exploration activities and is accelerating infrastruc-ture projects, including Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRUs), to improve gas supply.
