The government on Tuesday approved the procurement of five cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2026 on a government-to-government (G2G) basis to meet rising energy demand and ensure uninterrupted gas supply for power generation and industrial use.
The approval came at the fourth meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase held at the Bangladesh Secretariat, with Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed in the chair.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan said Petrobangla will procure the LNG directly from Aramco Trading Singapore Pte Ltd under a G2G arrangement. The price has been fixed at Japan Korea Marker (JKM) plus US$0.145 per MMBTU.
Officials said the LNG imports are intended to stabilise the gas supply system amid growing demand, particularly during peak periods, and to support steady power generation and industrial operations.
Alongside the LNG decision, the committee approved several other procurement proposals, including fertilizers and essential food items.
Under state-level agreements, the government approved the import of 40,000 metric tonnes of bulk granular urea fertilizer from Fertiglobe Distribution Limited of the United Arab Emirates and 35,000 metric tonnes of MOP (potash) fertilizer from Russia’s JSC Foreign Economic Corporation (Prodintorg).
The urea fertilizer will be purchased at US$410 per tonne, costing US$16.4 million, equivalent to Tk 2.01 billion. The MOP fertilizer will be imported at a cost of Tk 151 crore, with the price fixed at US$352.93 per tonne.
To meet increased demand during the holy month of Ramadan, the committee also approved the purchase of 10 million litres of refined soybean oil and 10,000 metric tonnes of lentils.
The lentils will be procured from local traders, while the soybean oil will be purchased directly from foreign suppliers to prevent market shortages.
163 vehicles being procured for RAB directly from Pragati
In a separate decision, the Advisers Council Committee on Economic Affairs gave policy-level approval to procurement of 163 vehicles for the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) through direct purchase from state-owned Pragati Industries Limited.
The vehicles include three jeeps, 100 patrol pickup trucks and 60 air-conditioned microbuses, to be procured under the project titled ‘Enhancement of Operational Capability of RAB Forces (1st Revised)’. The decision allows procurement without open tender, citing urgency and the need to keep public funds within state-owned entities.
Home Affairs Senior Secretary Nasimul Gani said the approval was not election-driven, noting that only policy consent had been given and that vehicle delivery would take place in phases after components are imported.
Officials said the move aims to address RAB’s vehicle shortage and strengthen operational readiness, while complying with provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2006.
The committee also discussed other economic affairs matters, including the recommendation to withdraw the Dhaka Bimanbandar Railway Station Multimodal Hub project from the PPP list due to lack of progress and land constraints, while several proposals were deferred or withdrawn for further review.