Prominent Bangladeshi industrialists and business strategists have issued an urgent warning over the nation’s severe natural gas and electricity deficit, cautioning that securing fresh domestic or foreign direct investment will remain impossible until existing industries receive guaranteed power supplies. Speaking at a high-level conference titled “Challenges of Energy Security: Bangladesh on the Path to Competitive Business”, commercial leaders insisted that keeping operational factories afloat must take priority over chasing new capital, calling on state authorities to implement immediate pragmatic energy policies.

The event, hosted on Sunday, 30 August, at the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) office in Gulshan, Dhaka, was organised jointly by the MCCI and Policy Exchange Bangladesh. Fazlul Hoque, Administrator of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), served as chief guest, while Policy Exchange Bangladesh Chairman M Masrur Reaz moderated proceedings following introductory remarks from MCCI Secretary General Faruq Ahmed.

Delivering the central paper, Hasib Hasan, Senior Associate at Policy Exchange Bangladesh, laid out the stark numbers behind the grid crisis. Daily natural gas demand across Bangladesh has escalated to approximately 3.8 billion cubic feet against a national supply averaging just 2.42 billion cubic feet. This leaves a severe 42 per cent deficit that starves major industrial zones and commercial consumers. Simultaneously, the national power grid confronts an average daily peak-hour electricity shortfall of 3,664 megawatts. The chronic deficit has squeezed manufacturing performance, dragging sector growth down from 3.71 per cent in the 2024–25 fiscal year to 2.86 per cent in the following financial period.

Underlining the immense pressure facing heavy industry, Mohammad Iqbal Chowdhury, Director and Chief Executive Officer of LafargeHolcim Cement, urged government officials to realign their policy focus. “We hold countless meetings and seminars about attracting new investments. My humble request is: please save existing investors first. Supply them with energy, and only then invite new investors,” he urged. Chowdhury highlighted that heavy industries treat gas not merely as fuel but as a vital raw material. He disclosed that a cumulative gas tariff hike of nearly 150 per cent coupled with acute shortages has pushed local clinker production costs above imported alternatives, putting his firm’s half-billion-dollar local manufacturing investment under immense strain.

Leading figures across key export sectors reported similar operational bottlenecks:

• PRAN-RFL Group: Sumaiya Tabassum Ahmed, Head of Sustainability, revealed that persistent low gas pressure has forced their major industrial parks in Habiganj and Narsingdi to operate at a constrained 50 to 70 per cent of maximum installed capacity.

• Ceramic Sector: Moynul Islam, President of the Bangladesh Ceramic Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BCMEA), pointed out that entrepreneurs committed vast capital after past official promises of abundant domestic gas. “We do not know how many days we can survive,” he said, stressing that high-grade ceramic production cannot function with fluctuating gas pressure.

• Textile Sector: Showkat Aziz Russel, President of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), expressed frustration that business executives highlighting genuine operational issues are sometimes depicted as hostile by top government officials. Urging an end to political rhetoric, he advised energy planners to balance expensive long-term Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) deals with flexible spot-market purchases while stepping up onshore gas exploration.

Formulating technical remedies, Ejaz Hossain, former professor at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), noted that rapid industrial expansion had outpaced infrastructure planning. He advocated immediately ramping up coal-fired power stations to 90 to 95 per cent operating capacity alongside an aggressive expansion of solar energy installations to relieve grid pressure.

Summarising the business community’s position, FBCCI Administrator Fazlul Hoque emphasized that short-term survival is the prerequisite for any long-term economic planning. “If I cannot survive today, I do not need to know what happens ten years from now. That is the hard truth,” Hoque remarked. He confirmed that the FBCCI is compiling the recommendations raised during the symposium into a formal action plan for submission to the government, expressing confidence that state agencies will take decisive measures to protect the country’s manufacturing engine.