Prime Minister’s Economic and Planning Adviser Professor Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir has said the country’s gas supply situation will return to normal within the next few days as a result of government initiatives and gas imports from alternative sources.

He made the remarks as the chief guest at a seminar titled “Energy Security in Bangladesh: From Crisis Management to a Resilient Energy Transition”, held at the auditorium of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) in the capital on Monday (September 7).

Dr Titumir said the country’s power and energy sector was in a highly fragile state when the current government took office. The sector was facing a severe financial crisis, while there was also no clear strategic direction.

“Given the situation we are facing today, the previous policies trapped us in an administrative and economic predicament,” he said. He alleged that the previous government had strategically made the country’s energy sector heavily dependent on imports.

Energy sector experts believe the current energy crisis has been deliberately imposed on the people of Bangladesh, the industrial sector and overall investment, he added.

The adviser called for reducing dependence on fossil fuels and moving towards a sustainable and balanced energy mix to build a strong and competitive energy system.

He said the government has undertaken a range of initiatives to increase gas supplies at the national level, including developing new LNG infrastructure, expanding and modernising pipelines, and drilling new wells for domestic gas exploration.

Regarding the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Professor Dr Titumir made it clear that the facility would begin commercial production only after ensuring 100 percent international nuclear safety standards. It is expected to become fully operational in 2027.

“We want to ensure overall safety above everything else, at any cost,” he said.

The adviser also said that if gas could be imported directly through VLC cargo vessels, the price of LPG in the country would decrease significantly.

Alleging that the previous government had established oligarchs, or vested interest groups, in every sector, he said the implementation of the government’s new decision to import gas directly would ensure that LPG prices in the open market become affordable for ordinary people.

He stressed that Bangladesh’s energy policy decisions should never be based on short-term considerations. Instead, national interests, long-term energy security and global economic stability must be taken into account when formulating such policies.

“True energy security means ensuring accessible, reliable and steadily increasing supplies of clean energy,” Dr Titumir said.

At the same time, he said, Bangladesh needs to build resilient infrastructure that will not have any adverse impact on the country’s financial stability, foreign exchange reserves or the balance of its diversified external sector.