In a move to meet the country’s growing energy demand amid declining domestic supply of natural gas, Bangladesh has approved the import of two cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Singapore through the spot market, at a total cost of Tk 1,104.41 crore.
The approval was granted on Wednesday at a meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase (ACCGP) held Wednesday at the Cabinet Division Conference Room at Bangladesh Secretariat, virtually chaired by Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed.
According to meeting sources, the Energy and Mineral Resources Division proposed the imports in line with the Public Procurement Rules 2008. As part of the process, international quotations were invited from 23 companies that have signed a Master Sales and Purchase Agreement (MSPA) with Petrobangla. For the first cargo, scheduled for delivery between May 30 and 31, 2025 (25th shipment), four companies submitted bids, all of which were deemed technically and financially responsive.
Following evaluation, Singapore-based Vitol Asia Limited was selected as the lowest bidder. The government will purchase one cargo of 3.36 million MMBtu LNG from Vitol at a rate of $11.4488 per MMBtu, totaling Tk 549.01 crore.
The second LNG cargo, scheduled for delivery between July 2 and 3, 2025 (27th shipment), was also approved under a similar process. This round saw six technically and financially responsive bids from MSPA-signatory firms. The Energy Division’s proposal was also cleared by the committee during the same meeting.
Officials say these imports are part of the government’s broader strategy to ensure uninterrupted energy supply amid fluctuating global fuel prices and rising domestic consumption.