Govt to buy LNG cargo at $23.93 per MMBtu from Aramco, 14 more from 7 other companies

Highlights:

• Aramco Trading Singapore to supply 44th LNG cargo of 2026
• 14 more LNG cargoes approved in principle from 7 companies
• 115,000 tonnes of MOP fertiliser approved for import at $377.63 per tonne
• 20 million litres of refined palm olein approved at Tk184.10 per litre
• Tk536.66m approved for multimodal transport hub feasibility study
• Urea fertiliser approved for import from Saudi Arabia at $430 per tonne

The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase has approved the purchase of a cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at $23.93 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) from Aramco Trading Singapore Pte Ltd to maintain normal gas supply in the country.

Aramco will supply the cargo between 1 and 2 September. It will be Bangladesh's 44th LNG cargo in 2026.

The approval was given today (19 August) at a meeting of the cabinet committee, chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, at the NEC conference room in Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

The committee approved a total of seven proposals from different ministries and divisions.

On the same day, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave in-principle approval to procure 14 LNG cargoes, two each from seven companies, through direct procurement to maintain gas supply for state emergencies.

The names of the seven companies and the total cost of the 14 cargoes were not disclosed in the documents.

Fertiliser, railway, and edible oil purchases

The government also approved the import of 1,15,000 tonnes of muriate of potash (MOP) fertiliser under two proposals from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Of the total, 80,000 tonnes will be imported through the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) and 35,000 tonnes through Russia's JSC Foreign Economic Corporation (Prodintorg). The price has been set at $377.63 per tonne in both cases.

The committee also approved the import of urea fertiliser from Saudi Arabia's SABIC Agri-Nutrients Company for the 2026-27 fiscal year. The purchase will cost Tk213,19,40,000, with the price set at $430 per tonne.

A proposal to appoint a consultant for a feasibility study and conceptual design for multimodal transport hubs at Dhaka Airport and Kamalapur stations under Bangladesh Railway's Green Railway Transport Preparatory Technical Assistance Project was also approved. The work will cost Tk53,66,60,788.

The committee approved the purchase of 20,000 tonnes, or 20 million litres, of refined palm olein through an open tender process. The purchase will cost Tk368.20 crore, with the price set at Tk184.10 per litre. Shabnam Vegetable Oil Industries will supply the edible oil.

It also approved a proposal to extend technical services from General Contractor MHI, Japan, for another year to ensure uninterrupted production and maintenance at the Ghorashal Palash Fertiliser Company. The contract will cost Tk39,52,55,000.

Other economic affairs committee decisions

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs also gave in-principle approval for Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) to sign a government-to-government contract with Fertiglobe Distribution Limited of the United Arab Emirates to import urea fertiliser in FY27.

The committee also considered a proposal for the final approval of a contract to select private partners to restart Darowani Textile Mill and Magura Textile Mill, both under the Bangladesh Textile Mills Corporation, through public-private partnerships.

It also gave in-principle approval for the procurement of 40 driving simulators for 40 technical training centres under the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).

The proposal to extend MHI Japan's technical services for another year at Ghorashal Palash Fertiliser PLC was also approved at the meeting.