To meet the growing energy demand in the country, the Energy and Mineral Resources Division has moved to procure Tk 1000 crore additional Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from the international spot market.
As part of the government’s plan to ensure uninterrupted energy supply, proposals have been placed under the Public Procurement Rules, 2008 for the purchase of one LNG cargo scheduled for November 22–23, 2025 (the 46th cargo) from Aramco Trading Singapore and another for December 26–27, 2025 (the 48th cargo) from Gunvor Singapore.
The approvals came from the meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase in this year held on Tuesday at the Cabinet Division Conference Room at Bangladesh Secretariat here with Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed in the chair.
Officials said that with domestic gas production unable to meet the growing industrial, commercial, and household needs, Bangladesh has increasingly turned to the global spot market for LNG imports.
In addition, the Division has also advanced a proposal to engage an international consultancy firm for the project titled “Technical Assistance for Carbon Abatement of the Oil and Gas Value Chain.” The Tk 50.52 crore initiative aims to align Bangladesh’s energy sector with global climate commitments while meeting the country’s rising power demand.
As industrialization and urbanization expand, Bangladesh’s reliance on imported LNG is expected to remain high in the near future. The government, however, is also exploring carbon-efficient practices to balance development with environmental responsibilities.
Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed after emerging from the meeting said that the government is importing LNG liberally to meet the domestic demands.
“We want to ensure uninterrupted gas supply in the industries,” he said.
The meeting also approved multiple import proposals under state-level agreements with international partners to meet the growing demand for fertilizers ahead of the upcoming cultivation season.
According to officials, the Ministry of Agriculture has moved to import 30,000 metric tons of Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) fertilizer under the 5th lot from OCP Nutricrops, Morocco, and 40,000 metric tons of Muriate of Potash (MOP) fertilizer under the 6th lot from the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC). Additionally, a proposal was placed to import 40,000 metric tons (+10%) of Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertilizer from OCP Nutricrops under the 4th lot.
At the same time, the Ministry of Industries has sought approval to import 30,000 metric tons of bagged granular urea fertilizer in the 4th lot from Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company Limited (KAFCO), Bangladesh. It also proposed the import of 10,000 metric tons (±5%) of phosphoric acid (P2O5: 52–54%) for use in fertilizer production by TSP Complex Ltd (TSPCL). The purchase committee approved all proposals.
Officials said these measures are part of the government’s efforts to maintain uninterrupted supply of fertilizers for farmers across the country. Demand for fertilizers continues to rise as Bangladesh aims to ensure higher agricultural productivity and safeguard food security.
Meanwhile, the government is set to move forward with a series of major infrastructure, energy, and transport projects across the country as several procurement and contract variation proposals have been placed for approval.
Under LGED’s “Resilient Infrastructure for Adaptation and Vulnerability Reduction (RIVER)” project, approvals were given for the construction of 23 government primary school-cum-flood shelters in Lalmonirhat district.
For Dhaka WASA’s “Dhaka Water Supply Network Improvement Project (DWSNIP),” a variation proposal has been given approval for the civil package titled “Rehabilitation of Distribution Network for NRW Reduction (including procurement of plant and construction of DTW pump stations) with O&M support”.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Railways has placed a variation proposal for consultancy services under the project “Construction of Single Line Dual Gauge Track from Dohazari to Cox’s Bazar via Ramu and from Ramu to Gundum near Myanmar (2nd revised)” and it was approved by the purchase meeting.
The Shipping Ministry has sought approval for re-tendering two packages under the “Accelerating Transport and Trade Connectivity in Eastern South Asia (ACCESS) – Bangladesh Phase 1” project, implemented by the Bangladesh Land Port Authority (BLPA).
These include construction of the port building and passenger parking facilities at Benapole Land Port (Package No. BLPA-W1), and development of port infrastructure including yards, sheds, warehouses, and transshipment sheds (Package No. BLPA-W2). Both were approved.
Separately, the Power Division has proposed procurement under the “Power Distribution System Development Project, Cumilla Zone” for substation installation, quality improvement, and bay extension works on a turnkey basis and it was also approved.