Bangladesh’s interim government has approved a proposal to sign a short-term Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with OQ Trading Limited of the United Arab Emirates for importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2025 and 2026.
The approval came at a meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Public Purchase, chaired by Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed at the Secretariat on Tuesday.
According to officials, the Energy and Mineral Resources Division placed the proposal for the government-to-government (G2G) LNG procurement from OQ Trading. The committee cleared both the draft SPA and the procurement under the direct purchase method.
“This LNG import is critical for ensuring uninterrupted energy supply to private industries,” Dr. Salehuddin told reporters, adding that additional cargos may be imported gradually based on demand.
Under the agreement, OQ Trading will supply five LNG cargos in 2025 and 12 cargos in 2026. Petrobangla earlier signed long-term deals with the company in 2018 and 2023. OQ has delivered 122 LNG cargoes under the first agreement, and deliveries under the second will begin in 2026.
Officials said the G2G arrangement will help secure stable energy supply and protect against volatile global spot market prices.
Fertiliser and Medicine Procurement Also Approved
The committee also cleared procurement of 110,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser. BCIC will buy 30,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea from Fertiglobe Distribution Ltd, UAE, at a cost of Tk 141.09 crore under the fifth lot.
Two more proposals by BADC were approved to import 80,000 tonnes of DAP fertiliser—40,000 tonnes from China’s Banyan International Trading Ltd for Tk 358.21 crore, and 40,000 tonnes from Saudi Arabia’s MA’ADEN for Tk 351.21 crore.
In addition, the Health Services Division received approval to procure 49,256 cartons of 22 types of medicines from Essential Drugs Company Limited (EDCL), Dhaka, at a cost of Tk 119.59 crore for distribution to community clinics nationwide.
The committee also approved a proposal to renovate 23 primary schools in Rangpur for use as disaster shelters.
Several other proposals from the ministries of Water Resources, Road Transport and Bridges, Local Government, Power, and Shipping were also approved during the meeting.