The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) on Friday approved the acquisition of a single cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Aramco Trading Singapore to assist in meeting the country’s escalating energy demands.
The Singapore-based supplier, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, will deliver the cargo under government-to-government (G2G) framework.
The purchase will be executed via the direct procurement method, with delivery scheduled for 11–12 August 2026, at a price of $21.55 per MMBtu.
The approval was formalised during the CCGP’s eighth virtual meeting of 2026–27 fiscal year, presided over by Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on the weekly holiday.
In contrast, the committee once again did not deliberate on a separate proposal concerning a long-term LNG supply arrangement with Gunvor USA LLC.
Prior to committee review, Energy and Mineral Resources Division withdrew its proposal – which had sought approval for direct G2G purchases from Gunvor USA LLC spanning 2026 to 2038 – mirroring a similar withdrawal that took place during Thursday’s session.
Bangladesh regularly imports LNG to supplement declining domestic natural gas production and to guarantee a stable fuel supply for industrial activities and electricity generation.
The newly approved Aramco cargo is expected to bolster national reserves by facilitating timely delivery during August. The procurement comes as the national gas network slowly recovers from a severe supply crisis.
The nationwide shortage, which disrupted power generation, industrial facilities, CNG refuelling stations, and domestic cooking for more than a fortnight, has begun to ease following the partial restoration of Maheshkhali floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) operated by Excelerate Energy.
The crisis commenced on 21 July when a fire damaged the FSRU’s boiler electrical systems, prompting a total suspension of LNG regasification at one of Bangladesh’s two floating LNG terminals.
This outage instantly removed approximately 450 million cubic feet of gas per day from the national grid, causing severe disruptions to industrial operations and electricity production.
Following extensive repairs undertaken by both domestic and foreign engineers, the terminal has partially resumed operations. It is currently feeding around 115 million cubic feet of gas per day into the grid, with output scheduled to scale up in phases.
On Thursday, Energy Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood indicated that the national gas supply should return to normal within two to three days as repairs proceed.
Bangladesh currently faces a daily gas demand of between 3,800 and 4,000 million cubic feet, against a supply of roughly 2,600 million cubic feet.
This deficit highlights the country’s critical reliance on imported LNG, as well as the vulnerability of its national energy infrastructure to technical disruptions at a single floating terminal.
