Government to Buy 18 LNG Cargoes from TotalEnergies

Against the backdrop of the Middle East war and an unstable geopolitical situation, the government will purchase 18 cargoes of LNG from TotalEnergies by next June to meet the country’s energy demand. The LNG will be purchased directly at the rate of two cargoes per month from October to June. If necessary, more than 18 cargoes may be purchased with the mutual consent of both parties.

The Economic Affairs Committee of the Cabinet has given in-principle approval to a proposal in this regard. The proposal was approved at a meeting of the committee held at the Secretariat on Wednesday, chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury.

Earlier, the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase, chaired by the finance minister, approved a proposal to directly purchase LNG from TotalEnergies to meet the country’s energy demand. However, final approval was not given to five proposals for the purchase of diesel, jet fuel and furnace oil. The committee instructed officials to negotiate with the recommended bidders over the proposed premiums and base prices and submit the prices obtained at the next meeting.

At the meeting, a recommendation was made to approve the proposal for direct purchase of LNG from TotalEnergies. The proposed price per unit of LNG has been set at the JKM price in the international energy market plus $0.06.

Meanwhile, proposals were made to purchase diesel, Jet A-1 and furnace oil through international open tenders in five packages for the period from September to December 2026. The total estimated purchase cost of the packages is around Tk 11,914 crore. However, final purchase approval was not given for any of the five packages. The authorities were instructed to negotiate with the recommended companies over the proposed premiums and base prices and determine the final prices. The prices obtained after negotiations are to be presented at the next meeting.

Under Package PG-01, the proposal included the purchase of 220,000 to 250,000 metric tonnes of diesel and 50,000 metric tonnes of Jet A-1. The estimated purchase cost was Tk 4,803 crore and Tk 2 lakh. Trafigura Private Limited was recommended as the bidder for the package.

Under Package PG-02, the proposal included 200,000 to 230,000 metric tonnes of diesel and 40,000 metric tonnes of Jet A-1. The estimated purchase cost was Tk 4,326 crore 88 lakh 60 thousand. Vitol Asia Private Limited was recommended as the bidder.

Under Package PG-03, the proposal included 25,000 to 50,000 metric tonnes of diesel, with an estimated purchase cost of Tk 792 crore 78 lakh 60 thousand. Unipec Singapore Private Limited was recommended as the bidder.

Under Package PG-04, the proposal included 50,000 to 75,000 metric tonnes of diesel, with an estimated purchase cost of Tk 1,189 crore 86 lakh 80 thousand. Vitol Asia Private Limited was also recommended as the bidder for this package.

Under Package PG-05, the proposal included 75,000 to 100,000 metric tonnes of furnace oil, with an estimated purchase cost of Tk 801 crore 46 lakh 80 thousand. Trafigura Private Limited was recommended as the bidder.

Meanwhile, the government has decided to import 110,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser from three countries—Belarus, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. The imports will comprise 30,000 tonnes of MOP, 40,000 tonnes of DAP and 40,000 tonnes of urea.

Following a proposal from the Ministry of Agriculture, the meeting approved the private-sector import of 30,000 tonnes of MOP fertiliser from Belarus through Messrs Sufla Trading Corporation. The price was set at $398.97 per tonne. The total purchase price was stated as $119 crore 69 lakh 100, which, at an exchange rate of Tk 122.92 per US dollar, amounts to Tk 147 crore 20 lakh.

Following another proposal from the Ministry of Agriculture, the meeting approved the import of 40,000 metric tonnes of DAP fertiliser from Morocco under a government-to-government arrangement. The import will be made under an agreement signed between OCP Nutricrops S.A. of Morocco and the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC). The price of DAP was set at $889.33 per tonne, with the value in Bangladeshi currency amounting to Tk 439 crore 86 lakh.

On the other hand, based on a proposal from the Ministry of Industries, the meeting approved the import of 40,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea fertiliser from Saudi Arabia’s Sabic Agri-Nutrients Company for the 2026-27 fiscal year. The price was set at $391.66 per tonne, bringing the total purchase cost to Tk 193 crore 71 lakh.