Bangladesh orders shops and malls to close by 8 p.m. amid energy shortage

Bangladesh has ordered shopping malls, markets, and shops nationwide to close by 8 p.m. as the government moves to conserve electricity amid continuing power and gas shortages.

The directive, which took effect Wednesday, allows businesses to operate from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., cutting one hour from the previous closing limit. Illuminated billboards must be switched off by 7 p.m., while decorative and other nonessential lighting must also be turned off.

Ongoing and upcoming social, cultural and trade fairs must close by 8 p.m. Hospitals, pharmacies and restaurants are exempt.

Local administrations have been directed to enforce the restrictions.

The state minister for power and energy blamed the shortage partly on technical problems affecting liquefied natural gas supplies.

“The Excelerate terminal is running at only 50% capacity due to a boiler fault,” the minister said. The facility recently partially resumed operations after damage linked to its boiler systems disrupted gas supplies.

“At the Summit terminal, because of rough seas in the Bay of Bengal, we have an LNG cargo still waiting to discharge, that is the problem,” the minister said.

The minister also blamed earlier energy policies for the current shortage.

“Previous governments did not seek any medium-term or long-term solutions; they went for temporary solutions, which is why there is a sudden crisis today,” the minister said.

The government is also working to bring in additional liquefied natural gas from Malaysia using International Organization for Standardization tanks, according to the report.