Government Buying One LNG Cargo at $21.55 per MMBtu

PNN News Desk, Dhaka

The government has approved the purchase of one cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Aramco Trading Singapore Private Limited through the direct procurement method under a government-to-government (G2G) arrangement. The LNG cargo is scheduled to be supplied to Bangladesh on August 11 and 12.

The LNG will be purchased at a price of US$21.55 per MMBtu. The proposal was approved at the eighth meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase for the 2026-27 fiscal year, held virtually on Friday (August 7) afternoon.

The meeting was chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury. Information regarding the decision was provided in a press release signed by Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Bhuiyan, deputy secretary of the Cabinet Division, which confirmed the approval of the LNG purchase.

The Cabinet Division said the proposal to purchase one cargo of LNG from Aramco Trading Singapore Private Limited had been approved to ensure supply within the scheduled timeframe. The price was fixed at US$21.55 per MMBtu.

Meanwhile, another proposal for long-term LNG imports was presented at the same meeting, but it did not receive final approval. The Energy and Mineral Resources Division presented a proposal to purchase LNG from Gunvor USA LLC through the direct procurement method for the period from 2026 to 2038.

However, the Energy and Mineral Resources Division later withdrew the proposal. As a result, the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase did not make any decision regarding the long-term LNG purchase.

The decision to purchase one LNG cargo to meet immediate demand, along with the withdrawal of the long-term supply proposal, has once again brought the issue of short- and long-term management of the country's energy imports into discussion.