The government’s purchase committee on Thursday cleared procurement proposals to import two liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargos from Singapore and the United Kingdom, and 50,000 tonnes of rice from India.
The LNG will be procured from the spot market following international quotation to ensure the country’s energy security. The total cost for this will be Tk1,367 crore.
In recent days, the interim government has put special emphasis on LNG import for a smooth energy supply to ensure uninterrupted power supply and industrial production in a energy-hungry country like Bangladesh.
In addition, maintaining a healthy food supply chain though importing rice is also another priority of the government.
The approval for importing LNG from Singapore’s Gunvor Singapore Private Limited and the UK’s Total Energies Gas & Power Private Limited was granted by the Adviser Council’s Committee on Government Purchase held at the Secretariat with Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed in the chair.
In line with a proposal from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the advisory committee approved the import of LNG from the spot market following the ‘Public Procurement Regulations, 2008’ under the international quotation process for the period around April 14-15, 2025.
The total cost of importing one cargo of LNG from Singapore’s Gunvor Singapore Private Limited will amount to Tk675 with a price of $14.08 per MMBtu.
In another proposal from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the advisory committee also approved the expected import of LNG from the spot market following the same regulations for April 14-15, 2025.
The total cost for importing one cargo of LNG from the UK’s Total Energies Gas & Power Limited will be Tk691crore with a price of $14.42 per MMBtu.
Besides, the non-Basmati rice will be procured from Indian company M/S Bagadiya Brothers Private Ltd at a price of $424.77 per tonnne.