Govt to import 2 cargoes of LNG from int'l spot market

The government will import two cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the international spot market at a cost of Tk1,243 crore.

The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase on Thursday approved two separate proposals of state-owned Petrobangla in this regard.

As per the first proposal, Petrobangla will import 33.6 lakh MMBTU of LNG from Switzerland's Total Energies Gas and Power Limited. The price of each unit of LNG will be $13.77. The total cost of the purchase will be Tk595.45 crore.

The same quantity of LNG will be imported, as per the second proposal, from Vitol Asia Pte Ltd, Singapore, at a cost of Tk674.35 crore with each unit at $14.90.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal chaired the virtual meeting of the cabinet committee which also approved three other proposals.

Syed Mahmud Khan, additional secretary of the Cabinet Division, told reporters, "Six proposals were presented for approval at the meeting. Two from the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, two from the Ministry of Agriculture, one from the Road Transport and Highways Division, and one from the Ministry of Shipping. Of these, the committee approved five proposals.

"The proposal of the shipping ministry has been rejected. The total cost of five approved proposals is around Tk1,682.27 crore."

Under the state-level agreement, the Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation will import 30,000 tonnes of SP fertiliser from OCP, Morocco at a cost of Tk129.10 crore.

The same organisation will import 40,000 tonnes of DAP fertiliser from Ma'aden of Saudi Arabia at a cost of Tk237.61 crore.

The cabinet committee approved a proposal of the Road Transport and Highways Division to appoint the consultant for the Construction of the Nalua-Baherchar Bridge over the Pandav-Payra River on Barisal (Dinerarpul)-Lakshipasha-Dumki Road project at a cost of Tk72.74 crore.