News Desk :
State-run Petrobangla owes to Chevron Bangladesh about $260 million in unpaid dues for purchasing gas from its Bibiyana and other gas fields, official sources said.
The sources said this week that Petrobangla purchases about $50 million worth of natural gas from the US-based multinational company’s Bangladesh subsidiary every month. The state-run company has now failed to make the payment for over five months apparently due to cash crunch, reports UNB.
Available statistics show that Chevron currently supplies about 1200 million cubic feet of gas per day (MMCFD), about 50 percent of the country’s total 2,612 MMCFD gas production.
Of this, 1017 MMCFD gas comes from the country’s largest field of Bibiyana while Jalalabad supplies 153.4 MMCFD and Moulvibazar 16.4 MMCFD.
Petrobangla officials admitted that this is the first time the country has been under pressure in making regular payment to the foreign oil and gas companies due to the country’s declining foreign exchange reserve position.
The officials of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division share the same view.
They said that the import of the petroleum fuels and LNG came under pressure following the decline of foreign currency reserves which dropped below $19 billion in 2023 from over $48 billion in 2022.
As a result, the government had to reduce imports of LNG for some time last year and also cut the payments to the foreign and local suppliers.
“That’s why Chevron and other companies’ payments have remained pending”, one official told UNB speaking on condition of anonymity.
Asked about the outstanding payment Chevron in an official statement on Wednesday said, “As a long-standing company policy, we do not provide figures of our outstanding dues for commercial reasons”.
It also said Chevron Bangladesh continues to work in partnership with the Government of Bangladesh and Petrobangla to deliver the safe, reliable supply of affordable natural gas which is essential to help meet the country’s growing energy demand. Chevron has been investing in Bangladesh for nearly 30 years.
“We are excited by the country’s potential economic growth and the benefits this can bring to its people,” it added.
Meanwhile, the officials of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division have informed that Bangladesh Bank has increased its supply of foreign currency to continue its import of petroleum fuels and gas from abroad and also from locally operating foreign companies.
