Peter D Haas makes a sudden visit to Dhaka

Former US ambassador Mr. Peter D Haas’s sudden visit to Dhaka has sparked fresh debate. People are asking many questions about the purpose of the trip. These include a big deal for long term supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Bangladesh, an effort to cut the trade deficit with the United States, and the business interests of his current company. Several sources say the visit may link to the current and future business of Accelerate Energy in Bangladesh. But nobody has officially confirmed the real purpose yet.

Sources say Mr. Haas arrived in Dhaka at around 3 am on Saturday, after Friday night, and checked into the Le Meridien Hotel in the capital. He is due to stay in Bangladesh until the afternoon of 19 November. The sudden trip has raised curiosity in diplomatic and business circles. The big investment and long term supply deal of his current company in Bangladesh’s energy sector has come to the fore in particular.

Mr. Haas served as US ambassador to Bangladesh for about three years. He took voluntary retirement from the US State Department in September 2024. He later joined Accelerate Energy, a private energy company based in the United States. He now works as the company’s head in Bangladesh and also as a strategic adviser. So people ask how far anyone can see the visit of this former diplomat as a purely personal trip.

Accelerate Energy holds an important place in Bangladesh’s energy sector. It helps run two floating LNG terminals in the country. It owns one of them and rents the other from Summit Group. Bangladesh has also had a long term deal to buy LNG from the company since 2026.

The decision to raise energy imports as part of the effort to cut the trade deficit with the United States makes this deal more important. Under the deal, Accelerate Energy will supply LNG worth about Tk 1 lakh crore to Bangladesh in phases over 15 years. The plan under this long term deal is to supply about 85 lakh to 10 lakh tons of LNG a year up to 2040. Of this, 28 cargoes are due in 2027, and 16 cargoes every year from 2028 to 2040. The average yearly cost of this supply may be about 600 million dollars.

Besides the long term deal, the company also supplies LNG from the spot market. Reports say it has already supplied 16 cargoes worth about 637 million dollars. It may also get a chance to supply much more LNG in future through open tenders.

People now ask whether any link exists between Mr. Haas’s strategic role and the business growth of his company. Critics fear the diplomatic contacts and experience he gained as a former ambassador may serve the company’s business interests. However, nobody has found any proof of such irregularity or conflict of interest.

Notably, Mr. Haas spoke out on Bangladesh’s elections, democracy and human rights while he was ambassador. The then Awami League government saw several of his actions as interference in internal politics. On the other hand, the opposition parties of that time, including BNP and Jamaat, found him relatively acceptable.