The government of Bangladesh has approved the import of 1 lakh tonnes of refined diesel along with two cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to address rising energy needs amid ongoing global uncertainty linked to the Middle East crisis.
The decision was taken at a virtual meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase on Saturday, chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.
The approvals were confirmed by Md Siraj-Ud-Doula Khan, public relations officer of the Finance Ministry.
Under the approved plan, Bangladesh will import one lakh tonnes of high-speed diesel (HSD), also known as automotive gas oil, from Kazakhstan’s Kazakh Gas Processing Plant LLP. The fuel will be procured through direct purchase at a rate of $75.06 per barrel.
In addition, the committee gave the green light to import two LNG cargoes from Singapore-based Aramco Trading Singapore Pte Ltd to support the country’s gas supply system.
Earlier, proposals had been placed to import a total of 16 lakh tonnes of diesel and 1 lakh tonnes of petrol. However, several of these proposals were later withdrawn by the Energy Division despite receiving prior approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
These withdrawn plans included the import of 10 lakh tonnes of EN 590-10 ppm diesel and 1 lakh tonnes of gasoline from UAE-based DBS Trading House FZCO, as well as 1 lakh tonnes of diesel from Oman’s Maxwell International SPC.
The latest approvals come as the government moves to secure alternative energy supplies and maintain stability in the domestic fuel market amid global supply disruptions.
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