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Bangladesh is preparing to bring in its first spot liquefied natural gas cargo of 2026 as it seeks to manage rising demand amid tight domestic supply.
The state-run Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Ltd (RPGCL), a subsidiary of Petrobangla, has issued an international tender for a January 3-4 delivery, signalling an early push to secure energy needs.
Officials say further tenders may follow later in the month, although the country's reliance on spot purchases is expected to fall next year once several new long-term LNG supply agreements begin to take effect.
Even so, with re-gasification terminals running close to maximum capacity, Bangladesh continues to juggle costly imports with growing supply constraints at home.
The volume of the spot LNG cargo is around 3.36 million British thermal units (MMBtu).
It is scheduled for delivery to Moheshkhali Island, with the option of unloading at either of the country's two floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) located there.
RPGCL may seek to purchase additional spot cargoes for a late-January delivery window, a senior official told The Financial Express on Wednesday.
Bangladesh's most recent spot LNG tender was awarded to BP Singapore Pte Ltd for a 27-28 December delivery at a price of US$11.64 per MMBtu.
Alongside spot purchases, Bangladesh continues to import LNG under long-term contracts with QatarEnergy LNG (formerly Qatargas) and OQ Trading International.
The country is also receiving extra supplies from OQ Trading International of Oman under a newly signed short-term sales and purchase agreement covering 17 LNG cargoes between August 2025 and December 2026, the RPGCL official said.
Petrobangla's official data show that LNG re-gasification is nearing saturation, reaching around 1,053 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) in September against a total re-gasification capacity of 1.10 billion cubic feet per day.
The two FSRUs are currently operating at about 95 per cent of their combined capacity, enabling Bangladesh to import up to 115 cargoes annually.
According to Petrobangla data, the country's overall natural gas output on Wednesday stood at around 2,626 mmcfd, including 892 mmcfd of re-gasified LNG, against a demand exceeding 4,000 mmcfd.
Azizjst@yahoo.com