Questions have been raised over the project experience and supporting documents submitted by China National Energy Engineering & Construction Co Ltd (CNEE) for a proposed floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) at Kutubjom in Maheshkhali, Cox’s Bazar.
The questions emerged after documents reviewed by Just Energy News showed similarities between CNEE’s proposal and an earlier proposal submitted by another energy company for an FSRU project in Maheshkhali.
The development comes as the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 28 July gave policy approval to process CNEE’s proposal under the government-to-government (G2G) procurement method.
The proposed project would become Bangladesh’s third FSRU if implemented.
Similarities with earlier proposal
New York-based NS Energy Navigation LLC submitted a proposal to the government on 12 May for an FSRU project at Maheshkhali.
The company describes itself as being involved in energy shipping, LNG and FSRU infrastructure, and maritime operations. Its website lists its address as 99 Hudson Street, Suite 801, New York.
CNEE subsequently submitted its proposal to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources on 19 June.
Documents reviewed by Just Energy News show similarities in descriptions of the proposed location, FSRU configuration, storage and regasification capacity, and the proposed connection to Bangladesh’s gas network.
Sources familiar with the matter have questioned the similarities between the two submissions.
However, the similarities alone do not establish that any material was improperly copied or that any document was falsified.
Just Energy News attempted to contact CNEE using the publicly available contact details to seek clarification, but was unsuccessful.
MP says he was unaware of any link
Musfiqur Rahman, MP for Brahmanbaria-4 and chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of Finance, has family links to NS Energy Navigation.
One of his sons-in-law is involved with the company.
Asked about any relationship between NS Energy Navigation and CNEE, Rahman said, “I have no knowledge about the relationship between NS Energy Navigation and CNEE. My son-in-law knew about it.”
Rahman said one of his sons-in-law operated the company but did not share details of its activities with him.
Questions over CNEE’s FSRU experience
More significant questions have emerged over CNEE’s claimed experience in FSRU projects.
According to documents reviewed by Just Energy News, CNEE cited experience related to the proposed Summit Terminal 2 FSRU project in Bangladesh as part of its project credentials.
However, Summit LNG Terminal Company (Pvt) Ltd (SLNG) has denied having any engagement with CNEE in connection with either the proposed Summit Terminal 2 FSRU or its existing FSRU.
“We have no deal for the proposed Summit Terminal 2 FSRU project or the existing Summit FSRU,” said Md Sayedul Alam, managing director and chief executive officer of SLNG.
The statement raises questions about how the project was cited in CNEE’s credentials and whether the experience meets the requirements for establishing technical eligibility.
There is a distinction between involvement in a proposed or prospective project and actually completing an FSRU project. Such a distinction can be important when previous project experience is used to demonstrate technical capacity in a procurement process.
Bangladesh currently has two operational FSRUs, both located at Maheshkhali. The country started importing LNG through its first floating terminal in 2018, while the Summit FSRU began supplying regasified LNG to the national gas grid in April 2019.
Expert seeks clarification
Prof M Tamim, vice-chancellor of Independent University, Bangladesh, said the government could seek an explanation if it found that CNEE had copied material from another company’s proposal.
He said the proposed FSRU project was important for Bangladesh’s energy security.
Government approves G2G processing
Despite the questions surrounding CNEE’s credentials, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved policy measures to process the company’s proposal for the Kutubjom FSRU under the G2G procurement system.
According to the Cabinet Division, the proposal will be processed under Section 68 of the Public Procurement Act, 2006, and Rules 99(2) and 107(2) of the Public Procurement Rules, 2025.
The proposed terminal comes at a time when Bangladesh is facing a significant shortage of natural gas.
A recent fire at one of the existing FSRUs reduced the country’s LNG regasification capacity and further strained gas supplies. Recent reports have put national gas demand at around 3,800 million cubic feet per day, compared with supply of roughly 2,700 million cubic feet per day before the latest disruption.
The government has said the proposed Kutubjom FSRU would strengthen LNG import infrastructure and reduce dependence on a limited number of floating terminals.
However, details of the proposed terminal’s technical specifications, investment cost and implementation timeline have not yet been made public.
Questions over verification
The developments have also raised questions over the due diligence carried out by the Energy and Mineral Resources Division before CNEE’s credentials were accepted.
People familiar with the matter alleged that some documents relating to the company’s claimed FSRU experience were endorsed without sufficient verification.
Asked about the similarities between CNEE’s proposal and the earlier NS Energy Navigation submission, Masuda Begum, desk officer and deputy secretary, said the evaluation committee would verify CNEE’s documents.
However, Energy and Mineral Resources Division Secretary Md Ziaul Huq said the division had already completed its evaluation of the CNEE proposal. He did not disclose details of the assessment.
CNEE has a substantial record of involvement in Bangladesh’s power and energy sectors, with publicly available information linking the company and its affiliates to several power-sector projects.
However, Just Energy News has not found evidence in the documents reviewed for this report establishing that CNEE has independently completed an FSRU construction project.
Whether the experience cited by CNEE satisfies the technical requirements for the proposed Maheshkhali project would depend on the specific eligibility criteria and the documents submitted to demonstrate that experience.
The questions over the two proposals and CNEE’s project credentials cannot, by themselves, establish forgery, plagiarism or misrepresentation.
A definitive assessment would require the relevant authorities to examine the original proposals, supporting documents, correspondence, project records and other evidence.
The CNEE’s proposal, signed by its project director, Liu Chunchen, said the company would design, construct and commission an LNG terminal with a delivery capacity of 600–750 mmcfd. “The proposed offshore LNG terminal represents one of the most practical, cost-effective and fastest solutions to enhance Bangladesh’s natural gas supply,” the proposal stated.
However, the proposal contains an inconsistency: while it was submitted by CNEE, it states that CECC is willing to supply LNG to Bangladesh on a long-term basis.