Fertiliser production resumes as gas supply increases in Ctg

Production of fertiliser resumed on Monday at Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Company Ltd (CUFL) after 15 days as gas supply has increased slightly in Chattogram.

The main port city and industrial hub of the country was facing a gas crisis since last month.

Sources from Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited (KGDCL) said that gas supply has increased in the port city since the beginning of this week. The gas supply has increased to 310-315 mmcfd (million cubic feet per day) from Sunday which earlier was 270 mmcfd. The surplus gas is being supplied to the CUFL and other bulk customers.

CUFL Managing Director Engineer Aktaruzzaman said that 41 mmcfd gas, sufficient to produce 1000-1200 tonnes of urea fertiliser, is being supplied since Sunday night. “As a result, gas production resumed in the factory after two weeks. It will be possible to continue production if gas is available regularly,” he added. A decline in the amount of gas import triggered a gas crisis in Chattogram region from 20 July last when the KGDCL drastically reduced gas supply to the CUFL, one of the major gas users in the region.

Besides cutting off the supply of 36 mmcfd gas to the CUFL, supply to several private industries and power plants, including Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company (KAFCO) which needs 50 mmcfd, was curtailed.

Before mid-June, 750 million mmcfd gas was regularly available from the FSRU (floating, storage, re-gasification unit), near Maheskhali island in the Bay of Bengal, where imported gas is unloaded. But, gas imports from the international spot market stopped due to the unusual increase in the price of gas in the global market and the dollar crisis in the country. As a result, the supply of imported gas from the FSRU dropped by 500 mmcfd.

Mohammad Rafikal Islam, general manager Rupantorito Pakritik Gas Company Ltd (RPGCL), said that at present, 50 mmcfd gas is available from the FSRU, which is being supplied to the Chattogram region. The supply will continue as long as this additional gas is available.

RPGCL and KGDCL sources said an additional 50 mmcfd gas could be supplied till August next. The majority of the gas that KGDCL gets for distribution in the Chattogram region goes to the two fertiliser factories, CUFL and KAFCO. A few power plants are also being supplied with gas, but currently, only 29 mmcfd of gas is being supplied to one unit of Rouzan Thermal Power Plant, which generates 150 MW of electricity.