Category: Energy and Power

B a n g l a d e s h will close all universities from March 9, bringing forward the Eid al-Fitr holidays as part of emergency m e a s u r e s to conserve electricity and fuel amid a worsening energy crisis linked to the con?ict in the Middle East.

authorities said the decision applies to all public and private universities across the country, a move that of?cials said will not only reduce electricity consumption but also ease traf?c congestion, which leads to fuel wastage.

of?cials said university campuses consume large amounts of electricity for residential halls, classrooms, laboratories and air conditioning, and the early closure would help ease pressure on the country’s strained power system. Government and private schools in Bangladesh are already closed for the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, meaning most educational institutions across the country will now remain shut during the period.

Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir recently said the government will strengthen monitoring of the lique?ed petroleum gas (LPG) market through local administrations to ensure that consumers do not face harassment and that no one engages in market abuse at the retail level. Quoting media reports, he said there have been concerns about a possible supply gap in the LPG market, which indicates that the government?xed price of a 12kg LPG cylinder, set at Tk 1,356, was being exceeded in some retail outlets.

the minister made the remarks while speaking to journalists after a meeting with representatives of LPG importers and suppliers in the conference room of the commerce ministry at the Secretariat.

the meeting discussed the prevailing situation regarding the market price and supply of LPG, according to a commerce ministry press release.

China has told its largest oil re?ners to suspend exports of diesel and gasoline, citing unidenti?ed sources, as the war in the Middle East risks an energy supply crunch. China is a net importer of oil and is one of several major Asian economies that depend on the vital Strait of Hormuz for energy.

traf?c through the strait is currently blocked.

the Middle East was the source of 57 percent of China’s direct seaborne crude imports in 2025, according to analytics ?rm Kpler.

of?cials from China’s top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, met re?nery representatives ‘and verbally called for a temporary suspension of re?ned product shipments that would begin immediately’. ‘The re?ners were asked to stop signing new contracts and to negotiate the cancellation of alreadyagreed shipments,’ it said.

The OPEC Fund for International Development (The OPEC Fund) committed a record US$3.2 billion to development operations in 2025, the highest annual volume in the institution’s history, and a 39 percent increase year-on-year. Delivered through 76 operations worldwide, the results re?ect strong delivery amid elevated demand for development ?nancing as the OPEC Fund enters its 50th anniversary in 2026. The record performance underscored the OPEC Fund’s expanding role in supporting partner countries to strengthen economic resilience, close critical infrastructure gaps, enhance food security, facilitate energy access and address climate-related challenges.

in 2025, the OPEC Fund signed 35 public-sector operations, 26 privatesector operations and 15 grants across its ?nancing windows.

B a n g l a d e s h Shadharon Nagorik Shamaj, a civil society platform, recently urged all stakeholders not to create any arti?cial fuel shortage in the country taking advantage of the ongoing situation in the Middle East.

in a statement, the organization’s convener Mohiuddin Ahmed called on people not to spread panic among the public over the uncertainty surrounding global fuel supply triggered by the con?ict in the Middle East.

the platform said a dishonest group of traders might attempt to create an arti?cial crisis in the domestic market by using the international situation as an excuse.

at the same time, it warned that instability in the fuel supply management could also arise due to some wrong and unplanned decisions by the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation and Petrobangla.

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood on March 4 said that the government took some preparations to deal with possible temporary electricity and fuel crises amid global instability. ‘Due to the ongoing unrest in the Middle East, there is a concern for temporary crisis in the country’s energy sector,’ he said while addressing an emergency review meeting to deal with the emerging situation.

the minister chaired the meeting seeking cooperation of the common people to use electricity and fuel economical. The meeting also requested electricity users to avoid unnecessary illuminations at shopping malls, community centers and other places specially lighting and excessive usage of fuel. The government instructed traders not to sell diesel and petrol in the open markets, as law enforcement agencies will monitor the matter, according to the meeting of?cial.

The government has been implementing a series of measures to reduce system losses and maintain stable electricity tariffs. ‘If we are able to reduce system losses in the electricity, then we will be able to keep power tariff stable,’ Power, Energy and Mineral Resources minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood said recently.

addressing an installation ceremony of Forum for Energy Reporters Bangladesh executive committee at the power and energy ministry’s conference room, Mahmood said that with transmission and distribution losses estimated around 10 percent, the power sector faces Taka 50 lakh for one percent system loss. Replying to a question the minister said the government is going to take aggressive plan for ensuring availability of gas in the country, as no gas well was dug during the last 15 years

State-run Petrobangla has initiated gas rationing as the ongoing Middle East crisis begins to pinch Bangladesh’s energy supply, of?cials said.

about 50 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of gas has been cut from power plants, while fertilizer factories have seen a reduction of around 140 mmcfd.

the only exception is the government-owned Shahjalal Fertilizer Company at Fenchuganj, Sylhet, which will continue operations to support agricultural production during the country’s largest rice-cropping season, of?cials added. Petrobangla Chairman Md Arfanul Hoque told reporters that the government is also facing dif?culties sourcing lique?ed natural gas (LNG) from the spot market due to disruptions to global supply. He noted that while LNG deliveries have not been cancelled, some shipments are being deferred. ‘Meetings with LNG operators are scheduled to assess supply conditions and cargo availability, and to inform them about the latest developments,’ he said.

Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Aramco shut its Ras Tanura r e f i n e r y following a drone strike, an industry source said r e c e n t l y , after Tehran l a u n c h e d strikes across the region in response to the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

the Ras Tanura complex, on the kingdom’s Gulf coast, houses one of the Middle East’s largest re?neries with a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day (bpd) and serves as a critical export terminal for Saudi crude.

it was shut as a precautionary measure and the situation is under control, the source said.

the drone strike added to a wave of attacks on the Gulf, including on Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Manama and Oman’s commercial part of Duqm. The strikes have paralyzed major shipping hubs in the United Arab Emirates and Oman and sent Brent crude futures LCOc1 surging roughly 10%

QatarEnergy has suspended work on its the North Field Expansion (NFE) project due to the US-Iran con?ict in the Persian Gulf that began on February 28, 2026. The suspension of the NFE project is part of a cessation of LNG production at Qatar’s Ras Laffan and Mesaieed industrial cities following targeted Iranian drone strikes on these facilities. While the onshore processing plants were physically struck, offshore expansion activities (drilling and platform installation) have been effectively paralyzed by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have declared the waterway closed to all traf?c, and most international marine insurers have canceled war risk cover for vessels in the Gulf.