Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
In a bid to tackle the country's worsening energy crisis, the government is planning to purchase three additional spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes in August to help meet the surging demand for natural gas across Bangladesh.
State-run Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Ltd (RPGCL) has floated a tender, seeking bids for the three LNG cargoes, scheduled for delivery during August 4-5, August 21-22, and August 28-29.
Each cargo will contain 3.36 million MMBtu and will be delivered to Moheshkhali Island in the Bay of Bengal, with discharge at either of the country's two floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) located there.
The bid submission deadline is July 13.
If the tender proceeds successfully, Bangladesh will have secured a total of four spot LNG cargoes for delivery in August, said an official.
The country previously procured five spot cargoes in July and six in May-the highest in any single month so far.
RPGCL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Petrobangla, is responsible for handling the country's LNG imports.
A company official confirmed that Vitol Asia Pte Ltd had earlier won a tender to deliver a spot cargo during August 14-15 at a price of $12.62 per million British thermal unit (MMBtu).
Bangladesh currently imports LNG under long-term supply contracts with QatarEnergy and OQ Trading International, and supplements this supply with short-term spot market purchases as needed.
The country's two operational FSRUs at Moheshkhali have a combined re-gasification capacity of 1,100 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd). Yet the gas supply deficit persists, driven by rapidly depleting domestic natural gas production.
As of July 10, 2025, Bangladesh's total natural gas output, combining both local production and imported LNG, stood at 2,869 mmcfd, while estimated demand exceeded 4,000 mmcfd, according to official data.
This shortfall has forced authorities to ration gas supply to power plants, industrial units, and other key consumers to manage the ongoing crisis.
azizjst@yahoo.com