Summit LNG Terminal Shut by Bad Weather, Bangladesh Gas Crisis Deepens
Bangladesh’s gas crisis has taken a sharper turn after the Summit LNG terminal at Maheshkhali in Cox’s Bazar was forced to suspend gas supply because rough weather in the Bay of Bengal prevented an LNG cargo from being connected to the floating terminal. The disruption has come at a particularly difficult time, as the country is already receiving reduced supplies from its other major LNG terminal.
The immediate impact is significant. Bangladesh’s gas supply to the national grid has fallen to roughly 1.9 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) against demand of around 3.8 bcf/d, according to reports citing Petrobangla and energy-sector officials. The widening gap is putting pressure on power generation, industries, households and CNG stations.
The latest disruption also highlights a broader problem for Bangladesh: its energy system has become increasingly dependent on imported LNG at a time when domestic gas production is declining.
Why Did the Summit LNG Terminal Stop Supplying Gas?
The Summit terminal is a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) located at Maheshkhali. An FSRU receives LNG from carrier ships, stores it and converts it back into natural gas before sending it into the national pipeline network.
A new LNG cargo reached the Bay of Bengal earlier this week, but rough sea conditions prevented the vessel from safely connecting to Summit’s terminal. As a result, Summit continued supplying gas from its existing LNG stock before gradually reducing its output.
Reports indicate that Summit reduced supply to about 200 million cubic feet per day on August 11, then around 100 million cubic feet on August 12, before stopping completely around 5pm on August 13.
The disruption is therefore not simply a technical failure at the terminal. Weather conditions have interrupted the process of bringing a fresh LNG cargo alongside the floating facility, leaving the terminal without sufficient fresh inventory to maintain normal supply.
Bangladesh Was Already Facing an LNG Supply Problem
The timing of the Summit shutdown is particularly damaging because Bangladesh's other major floating LNG terminal, operated by Excelerate Energy, has also been operating below capacity.
Excelerate's terminal was affected by a fire on July 21, 2026. One of its two boilers was damaged, reducing its ability to regasify LNG. One undamaged unit resumed operations on August 6, but the terminal has remained well below its normal capacity.
Bangladesh therefore went into the latest weather disruption with limited spare LNG capacity.
The two Maheshkhali terminals have a combined regasification capacity of about 1.1 billion cubic feet per day — approximately 600 million cubic feet from Excelerate and 500 million from Summit. But their actual combined output had already fallen dramatically before Summit stopped supplying gas.
Gas Supply Has Fallen Far Below Demand
The scale of the shortage explains why the latest terminal shutdown matters.
Bangladesh's daily gas demand is estimated at around 3.8 bcf, while normal available supply is considerably lower. Recent reports put total supply at roughly 2.7 bcf per day under normal circumstances, including around 1.05 bcf from LNG.
After Summit's supply stopped, national gas availability fell to around 1.9 bcf per day, according to The Business Standard. That represents roughly half of the country's stated daily demand.
This is why the issue has moved beyond the LNG industry itself. A shortage of natural gas quickly becomes a power-generation and industrial-production problem.
Power Generation Takes the Biggest Hit
Gas-fired power plants are among the largest users of natural gas in Bangladesh.
When gas supplies fall, power plants may have to reduce generation or remain unavailable. Recent reports indicate that Bangladesh has already been experiencing severe load-shedding, with the latest LNG disruption making the electricity situation worse.
The country's gas-fired power plants have more than 12,000 MW of installed capacity, but reports indicate that actual generation has recently been only around 3,000–4,000 MW amid shortages of gas and other fuels.
The result is a difficult chain reaction:
LNG disruption → lower gas supply → reduced power generation → load-shedding → industrial disruption.
For households, the consequences can also include weaker gas pressure for cooking and difficulties obtaining CNG.
Industries and CNG Stations Are Also Feeling the Pressure
The gas shortage is particularly serious for industries that depend directly on natural gas as an energy source or production input.
Factories can face lower operating hours, reduced production or temporary shutdowns when gas pressure falls. The impact can be especially significant in industrial areas around Chattogram, where LNG supplies from Maheshkhali are critical.
CNG stations have also experienced supply problems, with long queues reported as motorists search for available fuel.
For manufacturers, the problem is not limited to the cost of gas. Unreliable energy supply can affect production schedules, delivery commitments and overall capacity utilisation.
Why Bangladesh Is Vulnerable to LNG Disruptions
The latest episode exposes a structural weakness in Bangladesh's energy system.
Domestic gas production has been declining as older gas fields mature, while progress in new exploration has not been sufficient to completely close the supply gap. Recent reporting puts domestic production at roughly 1.6–1.7 bcf per day, compared with much higher levels in previous years.
Bangladesh has increasingly relied on imported LNG to compensate.
That creates two types of vulnerability.
The first is global price risk. LNG imports expose Bangladesh to international energy-market movements.
The second is infrastructure and weather risk. Floating LNG terminals are offshore facilities, meaning severe weather can disrupt LNG deliveries or terminal operations even when the underlying gas cargo has already been purchased.
The Summit disruption demonstrates the second risk very clearly.
What Happens Next?
The immediate priority is reconnecting the LNG cargo to Summit's terminal once weather conditions allow safe berthing.
Summit's terminal needs to resume normal supply because the Excelerate facility is already operating below capacity. According to reports, authorities have been attempting to manage the two terminals strategically, with Summit expected to provide full supply before Excelerate undergoes further work on its damaged equipment.
However, the situation may not normalize immediately.
Excelerate's terminal is expected to require a period of shutdown to synchronise and test its second boiler before it can return to full capacity.
That means Bangladesh could remain vulnerable to supply shortages for days, particularly if adverse weather continues or LNG deliveries are delayed.
The Bigger Energy-Security Lesson
The current crisis is about more than one LNG terminal.
Bangladesh has two major offshore LNG facilities at Maheshkhali, and both have faced problems at almost the same time — one because of technical damage and the other because of adverse weather.
That concentration of import infrastructure creates a single-point-of-failure risk.
The episode also reinforces the importance of maintaining adequate domestic gas production, diversified LNG procurement, sufficient storage and alternative power-generation capacity.
For businesses, reliable energy supply can be just as important as the headline price of fuel.
What Investors and Businesses Should Watch
The most important developments over the coming days will be:
- Restart of Summit LNG terminal operations
- Arrival and connection of the delayed LNG cargo
- Repair progress at Excelerate Energy's terminal
- Bangladesh's daily gas supply versus demand
- Power-generation levels and load-shedding
- LNG import availability and international prices
- Impact on major gas-consuming industries
- Whether the weather disruption causes further cargo delays
A sustained gas shortage could increase pressure on Bangladesh's power sector and industrial users, while a quick restoration of both LNG terminals could ease the immediate crisis.
Final Takeaway
The Summit LNG terminal shutdown caused by rough weather has significantly worsened Bangladesh's existing gas shortage. With Excelerate Energy's terminal already operating below capacity, the loss of Summit's supply has pushed national gas availability far below demand and added pressure on electricity generation, industries, households and CNG users.
The immediate trigger is weather, but the deeper issue is structural: Bangladesh is increasingly dependent on imported LNG while domestic gas production has declined. The next key signal will be whether Summit can safely reconnect the waiting cargo and restore normal supply, followed by the recovery of Excelerate's damaged capacity.
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