CHATTOGRAM, Oct 16: Gas supply from two floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) at Moheshkhali will increase to 1,000 million cubic feet per day from today (Thursday) as an LNG-laden ship reached the facility on Wednesday.
According to sources, the interim government earlier approved a proposal for procuring non-renewable liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the spot market with an eye to boosting energy supply domestically.
The approval was given at the sixth meeting of the advisers' council committee on government procurement of the imported LNG.
Following two separate proposals from the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, the government is procuring LNG from Gunvor Singapore Pte Ltd at Tk 640.16 crore.
Under another proposal, it is procuring another cargo of LNG from the same company at Tk 649.59 crore.
Both cargos are being procured from the spot market under the Master Sale and Purchase Agreement (MSPA).
Sources said QatarEnergy and Excelerate Energy (Excelerate) earlier signed an agreement to supply LNG to Bangladesh during the tenure of the previous Awami League government.
As per the deal, Excelerate will purchase up to 1.0-million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG from QatarEnergy to deliver to the FSRUs for 15 years beginning in January 2026.
Qatar is the largest supplier of LNG to Bangladesh.
Sources said Bangladesh stopped floating LNG tenders for spot purchases after the first week of July as Summit Group's FSRU went offline at the end of May.
The demand for LNG cargoes fell from mid-July to the first week of August.
A company of the state-owned Petrobangla Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Ltd has been responsible for importing LNG from abroad and receiving regasification service from the two LNG terminals at Moheshkhali.
Of them, one has been set up by Summit Group and another by US-based Excelerate Energy. Each LNG terminal has a capacity to supply 500 mmcfd gas to the national gas grid from which a major portion is supplied to Chattogram.
According to the Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited, Chattogram needs 100 mmcfd for private industries, including those in export and economic zones, 100 mmcfd for CUFL and KAFCO, 100 mmcfd for four power plants and 50 mmcfd for domestic consumers.
Out of 312 million cubic feet of gas received from Petrobangla, 178 mmcfd is supplied to private industries and domestic users, 40 mmcfd to CUFL, 44 mmcfd to KAFCO and 34 mmcfd to Shikalbaha power plant.
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