Bangladesh’s interim government spent nearly $3.9 billion importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2025, a sharp rise from the previous year, as surging industrial demand and falling domestic gas output forced the country to rely more heavily on overseas supplies, says BSS report.
Official figures show Bangladesh imported 109 LNG cargoes last year at a cost of about $3.88bn, up from 86 cargoes worth $3.02bn in 2024. The increase meant the government paid around $855m more year on year to meet energy demand, according to officials at Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla).
In volume terms, the country imported around 350.8 million MMBtu (million British thermal units) of LNG in 2025. State-run Rupantarito Prakritik Gas Company Ltd (RPGCL) said imports had become essential as gas production from domestic fields continued to fall short of requirements.
Bangladesh began importing LNG in 2018, with its first consignment arriving from Qatar under a long-term agreement. Since then, imports have expanded steadily under a mix of long-term and short-term contracts, supplemented by spot market purchases.
“We import LNG regularly under long-term and short-term agreements as well as from the spot market to meet the country’s growing energy demand,” said AKM Mizanur Rahman, a director at Petrobangla. He added that last year’s supplies were sourced across all three channels.
Planning Commission officials said the government had initially planned to import 115 LNG cargoes in the 2025–26 fiscal year through long-term contracts and spot procurement. Each LNG cargo typically contains around 3.36 million MMBtu of gas, while prices under long-term contracts averaged about $9.5 per MMBtu, according to RPGCL.
Petrobangla spokesman Tariqul Islam Khan said LNG deliveries were received every month to help bridge the widening supply gap. On January 5–6, 2026, total gas production — including regasified LNG — stood at 2,594.7 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) against demand of around 3,800 mmcfd, highlighting the shortfall.
Officials warned that the gap is set to widen further. With domestic gas extraction declining, daily demand is projected to reach 6,240 mmcfd by 2030, in line with forecasts under the Integrated Energy and Power Master Plan 2023, which charts the sector’s development to 2050.
In 2025, QatarEnergy supplied 40 LNG cargoes, receiving about $1.2bn for roughly 127.4 million MMBtu. Oman’s OQ Trading (OQT) delivered 16 cargoes under a long-term deal worth about $44m, and a further five cargoes under short-term arrangements. Bangladesh also procured 48 cargoes from the spot market, sourcing LNG from companies including PetroChina International, TotalEnergies Gas and Power and Posco International.
Bangladesh has also signed an LNG import agreement with US-based Excelerate Energy, officials said.
Global price volatility has added to the pressure on import costs. LNG prices surged to an average of $18.43 per MMBtu following the outbreak of the Russia–Ukraine war in 2022, before easing to $12.84 in 2024. Prices averaged $13.52 per MMBtu in mid-2025 and fell to around $11.02 by November.
By contrast, domestic gas production has stagnated. At the end of 2023, Bangladesh was producing about 2.08 billion cubic feet per day from all gas fields — lower than the 2.20 billion cubic feet per day recorded in 2012 — underlining the country’s growing dependence on imported LNG to fuel its economy.