Bangladesh Bets $65 Billion on Maheshkhali Hub for RMG Energy and Logistics

Bangladesh has put a $60–65 billion price tag on turning Maheshkhali-Matarbari into an integrated industrial, energy and logistics hub by 2056, and the ready-made garment sector is the intended beneficiary. The apparel industry exported $38.70 billion in FY2025-26 — 80.62% of national export earnings — while energy shortages, captive generator costs and rising production expenses continue to squeeze manufacturers' prices and delivery schedules.

The masterplan, drawn up by the Maheshkhali Integrated Development Authority (Mida), is an ambition, not a banked deal. It targets at least $5 billion in foreign direct investment, 150,000 direct jobs and 2.5 million indirect jobs. Official project estimates project a $150 billion contribution to the economy, $4 billion in reduced logistics costs, and $16–18 billion saved in foreign exchange transactions across 30 years. Buyers and sourcing teams should read those projections accordingly: modelled results, not measured ones.

What does the plan change for apparel supply chains?

Potentially three things: power reliability, petrochemical feedstock, and port capacity. The energy package includes a $10 billion oil refinery and petrochemical complex, a $2 billion onshore LNG terminal, a third floating storage and regasification unit, and a $150 million LPG plant.

The refinery is planned to process 150,000–200,000 barrels of crude daily across roughly 1,200 acres. That output could supply domestic petrochemical feedstocks, creating backward linkages for synthetic yarn, polyester and man-made fibre manufacturing — a gap Bangladesh has talked about closing for years. The plan also targets 6,060MW of generation capacity by 2050, mixing coal and solar. Reliable power underpins spinning, knitting, dyeing, washing and garmenting alike.

The coal-heavy mix is the compliance wrinkle. Aligning grid expansion with buyer ESG mandates, decarbonisation targets and Scope 2 carbon accounting remains, in the source's word, critical. Rooftop solar, grid-scale storage, clean corporate power purchase agreements and industrial efficiency upgrades will determine whether high-value export markets accept the electricity on offer. A factory running on cheap coal-fired power may find the saving cancelled out at the buyer's scorecard.

Can the port move the lead-time needle?

Matarbari deep-sea port is designed to take vessels of up to 8,000 TEUs on an 18.5-metre draft. The wider scheme adds a 27km port access road, container and multipurpose terminals, logistics facilities and further LNG and LPG terminals. Authority projections claim the Single Point Mooring system will save around $67 million (Tk800 crore) a year by cutting crude oil unloading from nine days to three — roughly two-thirds off the current wait.

For apparel exporters, fewer shipping constraints, lower transshipment costs and improved connectivity translate directly into lead-time and landed-cost arithmetic. That is the commercial case.

Financing and timelines remain the open questions

The clock matters. Bangladesh faces its revised LDC graduation deadline in November 2029, and with apparel above four-fifths of exports, energy reliability and port efficiency will decide whether the sector defends its position and attracts higher-value manufacturing investment.

The obstacles are listed plainly: land acquisition, complex project financing, fuel supply stability, environmental safeguards, continuous port maintenance dredging and modern digital customs clearance. None is trivial; several have stalled Bangladeshi infrastructure before. The $60–65 billion figure is a long-term investment ambition, not secured financing.

Sourcing directors would be well advised to track Mida's FDI commitments and the refinery's financial close rather than the headline number. Bangladesh has a plan. Whether it has the money will become clear well before 2056.