Business Report :
In response to the country’s deepening energy crisis, the government is moving to procure three additional spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes in August to meet rising natural gas demand across Bangladesh.
To this end, state-owned Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Ltd (RPGCL) has issued tender inviting bids for three LNG shipments, with scheduled delivery windows of August 4-5, August 21-22, and August 28-29.
Each shipment will carry 3.36 million MMBtu of LNG and will be delivered to Moheshkhali Island in the Bay of Bengal. The cargoes are to be discharged at one of the country’s two floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) stationed at the island.
The bid submission deadline has been set for July 13.
If the tender process is successful, Bangladesh will secure a total of four spot cargoes for August delivery. A prior deal has already been finalised with Vitol Asia Pte Ltd, which is scheduled to deliver a cargo between August 14-15 at a contracted price of $12.62 per million British thermal unit (MMBtu).
The country had previously imported five spot cargoes in July and a record six in May-the highest monthly volume of spot LNG purchases to date.
RPGCL, a fully owned subsidiary of Petrobangla, is tasked with managing the nation’s LNG imports. In addition to spot purchases, Bangladesh currently sources LNG under long-term contracts with Qatar Energy and OQ Trading International to ensure a steady supply.
Despite these efforts, the country continues to face a widening supply gap due to declining domestic natural gas production. As of July 10, 2025, combined local output and LNG imports totaled 2,869 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), significantly below the estimated national demand of over 4,000 mmcfd.
The persistent shortfall has compelled authorities to ration gas among power plants, industrial facilities, and other priority sectors to maintain essential operations amid the ongoing crisis.
The two operational FSRUs at Moheshkhali currently offer a combined regasification capacity of 1,100 mmcfd, but this remains insufficient to fully bridge the demand-supply gap.
