State Minister Bipu says gas crisis 'temporary', no impact on power supply

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid Bipu says the sudden discontinuation of gas supply to CNG refuelling stations nationwide due to maintenance of a gas field is a 'temporary' problem.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 28 June 2017, 07:31 AM
Updated : 28 June 2017, 08:57 AM

There is, however, no problem with the power supply, he told reporters at his Secretariat office on Wednesday.

He said that they had announced earlier Bibiyana gas field would undergo maintenance. "We did notify everyone before the Eid and even gave notifications in newspapers."

Saying he was aware of the temporary crisis at the CNG refuelling stations, Bipu said, "It won't last long. This is only for 24 hours; from 12am Wednesday to 12am Thursday."

The sudden decision by Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company to stop the supply for 24 hours due to the maintenance at Bibiyana created a transport chaos in many parts of Bangladesh including Dhaka since Tuesday midnight.

State-run Titas's spokesperson Mohammad Wahiduzzaman told bdnews24.com on Tuesday night that they chose the time for the overhaul because the demand has dropped as factories were closed for Eid holidays.

He said Petrobangla had informed Titas about the move in a letter.

State Minister Nasrul Hamid Bipu

The CNG refuelling stations in Dhaka faced a sudden rush of vehicles when the news about the Titas decision circulated around 9pm Tuesday.

But after most of the stations closed at midnight, many vehicles that rushed there had to turn back with empty cylinders.

Though the state minister claimed due a priori notification, many facing trouble on Wednesday, the first working day after Eid holidays, said they did not know that the gas supply would be stopped from Tuesday midnight.

Bangladesh CNG Filling Station Owners' Association General Secretary Farhan Noor told bdnews24.com the government's original decision was to keep the stations open for 24 hours for 10 days before and after the Eid to handle the traffic rush.

"The new decision contradicts that," he said, insisting that closed refueling stations would lead to much sufferings for the people.

State Minister Nasrul Hamid Bipu, however, said the vehicles that run on CNG can also use other fuel. "So there shouldn't be any major trouble."

He said, "Our main concern was with the power plant. But I have ensured power supply is not affected. It [The gas supply] may have dropped by 500 to 600 Mcf."

"But we are stable. Power supply is fine everywhere. We had some reserve and that has been used to cover up the shortage," he added.