Energy security is part of national security; Yunus-led interim government’s retaliatory policies are undermining it, says Aziz Khan

Special Correspondent

Dhaka, April 26, 2026: Summit Group Chairman Muhammad Aziz Khan said that the vindictive and ineffective decisions of Yunus’ interim government have plunged Bangladesh’s energy security sector into a deep crisis and set back the country’s energy capacity by several years.

He particularly strongly criticized the decision to suspend and cancel the Floating LNG Terminal (FSRU) project, saying that this has put Bangladesh behind by almost two years in terms of electricity and fuel security.

In a recent interview aired on Just Energy News, Aziz Khan discussed energy security, natural gas-to-power generation, LNG infrastructure, and domestic and international markets in detail. In the interview, he emphasized that energy security is not just a sector-specific issue, but is inextricably linked to national security and economic stability. He warned that any attack on energy hampers the overall development of the country.

Aziz Khan, in his columns “Bangladesh must learn the hard lessons of energy security” and “Bangladesh’s energy insecurity is a policy failure, not a price problem,” notes that the interim government’s decisions have been based on vilification (blame and blame), rather than strategic risk management. This has wasted billions of dollars in investment opportunities and made the country’s import-dependent energy supply more vulnerable.

He said, “The Yunus government has forcibly suspended this project without giving any reason. This has created deep distrust among foreign investors about investing in Bangladesh.”

Summit Group has already spent about $2 million on the project and has purchased various components and stored them in warehouses. He warned that the project would have to cost additional taxpayer money to restart as it was unduly suspended.

Incidentally, in October 2024, the interim government canceled the contract with Summit Group to establish a third floating LNG terminal. Summit Group had commented on this as “irrational.”

This floating LNG terminal could supply 600 mmcfd of gas, which was said to be expandable to 800 mmcfd if necessary. Along with this, the LNG storage capacity was supposed to be about 170,000 cubic meters. The Summit Group’s investment in this project was estimated at 500-550 million US dollars. The LNG was supposed to be stored and supplied at the terminal by the beginning of 2026, which would have made it possible to store the necessary gas at the terminal before the Iran war.

According to Aziz Khan, such breach of agreement is not only detrimental to energy security, but also tarnishes the country’s overall economic image.

Summit Group is one of the largest private power producers in Bangladesh and operates the country’s second FSRU terminal. Aziz Khan said these decisions are hampering the possibility of increasing LNG imports, which will further exacerbate the power crisis in the long run. He highlighted the sector’s crisis due to over-reliance on energy imports, geopolitical risks and policy mistakes.

Energy sector experts say that the formation of commissions, investigation and review of projects in the name of corruption and cancellation and delay have damaged the country’s energy security and created a major obstacle to attracting foreign investment.

Aziz Khan’s statement made it clear that the interim government’s vindictive decisions have ruined the long-term plans of the energy sector and pushed Bangladesh into an unnecessary crisis.