Several parts of the country experienced a severe gas crunch for 10 hours on Sunday as a pipeline leak disrupted supply from the Bibiyana gas field.
US-based Chevron, in charge of the field, suspended production to facilitate repairs of the gasket (joint between two pipes) on Saturday evening.
Petrobangla Chairman Hossain Mansur told bdnews24.com gas supply resumed on Sunday morning.
He apologised for having to suspend stop gas supply for long hours.
Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited supplies gas to Dhaka.
Speaking to bdnews24.com on Sunday evening, its Acting Managing Director Naoshad Islam said: “The gas pressure is gradually getting back to normal. We hope it will become normal within night.”
According to Titas, areas under their distribution in the capital get a supply of around 130 MMCFD (million cubic feet per day) gas against a demand of around 150 MMCFD. A large portion of the gas comes from US-based Chevron-run Bibiyana gas field located in Habiganj.
Bibiyana adds 800 MMCFD gas to the national grid daily.
Titas Director (operations) Mir Mashiur Rahman told bdnews24.com a leak in a gasket was spotted late Saturday evening.
Authorities shut the Bibiyana plant to facilitate the overnight repairs that ended at around 4am on Sunday. The gas field resumed feeding the national grid from around 6am.
A Chevron statement on Sunday said the field had resumed full scale transmission from the morning and that supply was stopped overnight for security reasons.
Meanwhile, the supply suspension had hit parts of the capital. bdnews24.com received complaints all morning from Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, Khilgaon, Baily Road, Motijheel, Badda, Mohakhali, Kazipara and other areas of gas shortages.
Rakib-ul Alam, a resident of Mohammadpur Housing Limited, said his house was without of gas since early morning. “My office is in Mohakhali, I heard there isn’t any gas either.”
Two of his relatives living in Kaziparha and Badda were facing the same crisis, he said.
Khilgaon resident Fayimuddin Fahim said there was no gas in his locality and at many other places. “I heard there is no gas in Motijheel, Moghbazar, Baily Road as well.”
Residents of the port city were also hit by the gas crunch.
Susmita Dutta, a resident of Jamal Khan, said gas supply came to standstill just after 8am on Sunday.
A housewife from Askaradighi, Ashrafa Khanam said there were no gas and electricity since morning.
The sudden shortage prompted several restaurant owners to have alternative cooking arrangements. Many were seen using firewood.
It was somewhat same in most parts of Chittagong including Andarkilla, Jamal Khan, Enaetbazar, Jubilee Road, Askar Dighir Parh, Patharghata, Bahaddarhat, Muradpur, Agrabad, Lalkhan Bazar, Nasirabad, Masterpool and Bakalia.
Authorities were forced to shut down a unit of Rauzan power plant in Chittagong for the gas shortage.
The number two unit of the plant has a 210MW production capacity but since it became old it could generate 180MW power at its best, officials said.
Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited (KGDCL) officials said the shortage was caused by the problem in Bibiyana gas field.
According the KGDCL, they get up to 210 million cubic feet daily against an average demand of nearly 400 MMCFD.
Only 108 MMCFD was received until Sunday noon due to the Bibiyana glitch and the gas pressure was also lower, officials said.
Titas Director Masiur Rahman said they had tried to prioritise supply for the power plants with the gas that remained in the pipeline.
Source: bdnews24
