Bangladesh plans to purchase nine liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes from the spot market in the second half of the year. Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Ltd (RPGCL), a subsidiary of state-owned Petrobangla, has already issued a tender for two cargoes with delivery dates in July 2023. This move comes as Bangladesh aims to secure a stable supply of LNG to meet its power demand.
Petrobangla has been engaging in spot imports since February, after reversing a decision to halt such purchases due to high prices resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war. The easing of Asian LNG prices has made spot purchases more affordable for buyers like Bangladesh. In the first half of the year 2023, Bangladesh aimed to purchase up to 12 LNG cargoes, with four already awarded in June. These June cargoes ranged from $10.98 to $12.47 per million British thermal units (mmBtu). No immediate comments were available from the companies awarded the contracts: Vitol, Gunvor, and Excelerate Energy.