State-owned Petrobangla, formally known as Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation, has signed another agreement with OQT, Oman to import more liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Middle East country.
As per the new agreement, the OQT, the Omani state-owned company, will supply LNG 0.25-1.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to Bangladesh over 10 years from 2026.
Prime Minister’s Energy Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, who was present at the signing ceremony at Sonargaon Hotel on Monday, said it will play a vital role in ensuring Bangladesh’s energy security.
“It’s a way forward to ensure energy supply to the country,” he added.
However, no prices or financial details of the deal were disclosed at the function. “It’s a confidential matter between the two sides,” said the Omani Ambassador to Bangladesh Abdul Ghaffar Albulushi.
The function was also addressed by OQT Chief Executive Said Al Maawali and Petrobangla Chairman Janendra Nath Sarker, while Energy and Mineral Resources Division Secretary Md Khairuzzanan Mozumder presided over it.
Under the existing Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) of LNG signed between Petrobangla and Oman Trading International (now known as OQ Trading Ltd-OQT) on May 6, 2018, Oman has been supplying 1 to 1.5 MTPA of LNG on a G2G basis for a period of 10 years.
Under the new agreement, the OQT will supply more LNG over 10 years on a G2G basis. It will supply four cargoes of LNG in 2026, 16 cargoes of LNG per year from 2027 to 2028, and 24 cargoes of LNG per year from 2029 to 2035.
Currently, 3.5-4 MTPA of LNG is being imported under the two existing contracts.
“This will be in addition to the existing deal with Oman to increase the import by another 1 million tonnes under a 10-year agreement,” said the Petrobangla chairman.
Bangladesh has been desperately looking for increasing its imports of LNG under a long-term agreement to sustain the volatility due to the frequent price fluctuation in the global energy market.
As part of the move, recently Bangladesh signed a new deal with Qatar to get an additional 1.5 MTPA of LNG for the next 15 years from 2026.
Petrobangla signed the new agreement with Qatar’s state-owned Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Ltd, (Qatargas).
Under the new deal, Qatar will supply an additional about 1.5 MTPA of LNG per year from 2026 to 2040. Of this, Bangladesh will get 12 LNG cargoes in 2026 and 24 cargoes in 2027.
The country's total natural gas production is about 3,000 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) against a demand of 4,000 MMCFD, leaving a shortfall of about 1,000 MMCFD. Of the total production, 700 MMCFD is imported.
