Approves Tk1,466cr fertiliser imports from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Russia, Canada.
TBS Report
14 October, 2026, 09:40 pm
Last modified: 14 October, 2026, 09:58 pm
The government has approved the purchase of nine liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes from Trafigura between December 2026 and December 2027 subject to mutually agreed upward or downward adjustments, while rejecting a separate proposal for a Tk13,161 crore floating LNG terminal at Kutubjom in Cox's Bazar.
At separate meetings yesterday (13 October), the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs also recommended in-principle approval for LNG procurement from five international suppliers to ensure uninterrupted gas supplies.
The proposals cover direct purchases from BP Singapore Pte Limited, Sahara Energy Resource Limited and Shell International Trading Middle East Limited FZE, alongside G2G procurement from Cheniere Marketing International LLP and Trafigura Pte Ltd. The proposals did not specify volumes, contract values or delivery schedules.
Separately, the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) declined to approve a proposal to establish a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) at Kutubjom in Maheshkhali under a G2G arrangement. The Energy and Mineral Resources Division later withdrew the proposal, according to a Cabinet Division press release.
Proposed by China National Energy Engineering and Construction Company, the terminal was estimated to cost Tk12,324 crore over 15 years or Tk13,161 crore over 20 years.
Scheduled for completion by 2028, it would have added 600 million cubic feet per day of regasified LNG to the national grid amid declining domestic gas production and technical problems at existing terminals. The committee had granted in-principle approval on 28 July.
The CCGP also approved fertiliser imports worth around Tk1,466 crore from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Canada, covering urea, muriate of potash (MOP) and diammonium phosphate (DAP).
The approved purchases include 82,000 tonnes of urea from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, 115,000 tonnes of MOP from Russia and Canada, and 40,000 tonnes of DAP from Saudi Arabia.
The committee also recommended awarding Meghna Sugar Refinery Ltd contracts to supply 10,000 tonnes of sugar for Tk103.45 crore through open tender.
Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury chaired the CCGP meeting.