Monir Hossain Chowdhury, joint secretary (operations wing) of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, has said there is no fuel shortage of any kind in the country. Current stocks stand at 31 days of diesel, 36 days of octane, 20 days of petrol, 20 days of jet fuel and 25 days of furnace oil.
He gave the figures at an emergency briefing on Wednesday afternoon, July 22, saying such rumours were being spread as part of an attempt to create an artificial crisis.
Monir Hossain said advance steps had been taken to keep the international fuel supply chain normal. By the end of this month 180,000 metric tonnes of diesel will reach the country, with a further 240,000 metric tonnes arriving in August, so there is no reason for concern over fuel products.
On the natural gas supply situation, the joint secretary said daily gas demand currently stands at 3,800 million cubic feet, against which 2,700 to 2,800 million cubic feet a day can be supplied. That shortfall has existed for some time. Although gas exploration was not given enough emphasis in the past, the current government has been advancing exploration of new fields quickly since taking office, he said.
On the recent long queues at CNG stations, he said a sudden mechanical fault at a floating LNG terminal (FSRU) had somewhat disrupted gas supply. Technical teams are already carrying out repairs, and the problem is expected to be permanently resolved within the next two days, easing the temporary pressure at CNG stations.
On Middle East geopolitics and fuel imports, Monir Hossain Chowdhury said mainly crude oil is imported from the Middle East. Since the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, supply has been maintained using the Red Sea route. Advance preparations have been made to use alternative routes should the situation worsen further and the Red Sea close.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report