The government expects to start supplying imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the national grid on Wednesday.
State-owned Gas Transmission Company Ltd (GTCL) has started a test-run on Tuesday in an effort to record the pressure, according to officials.
In late April, a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) of Excelerate Energy Bangladesh brought the first shipment of 133,000 cubic meters LNG from Qatar to Moheshkhali LNG terminal.
The government said then it expected to start supply by the next month. It, however, has been delayed for what officials said due technical issues and rough seas.
In mid-August, the supply of LNG kicked-off but only in the southeastern Chattogram region as works of pipeline between Chattogram’s Anwara Upazila and the LNG terminal near Moheshkhali, Cox’s Bazar connecting the national grid was yet to finish.
The process hit snags due to technical difficulties over underwater drilling on the Karnaphuli River for the last leg of the pipeline between Anwara and Fauzdarhat.
Finally, the construction of the pipeline completed on Oct 25.
“We have been supplying LNG to the national grid on a trial basis from Tuesday morning and expect a full-fledged test run from Wednesday,” Anwara-Fouzdarhat pipeline Project Director Sushil Kumar Sarkar told Bangla Tribune.
Initially, 310 million cubic feet (cft) of LNG will be supplied to the national grid which will be gradually increased to 500 million cft, said Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company or RPGCL Managing Director Md Quamruzzaman.
On Apr 24, a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) of Excelerate Energy Bangladesh brought the first shipment of 133,000 cubic meters LNG from Qatar to Moheshkhali LNG terminal
The state-owned oil, gas and mineral resources company Petrobangla signed a terminal-use agreement with Excelerate Energy Bangladesh Limited to set up the country’s first LNG terminal on Mar 31, 2016.
Singapore-based Astra Oil and Excelerate Energy Consortium are functioning as Excelerate Energy Bangladesh for the project.
According to the deal with Excelerate Energy, Bangladesh will have to pay $0.49 per 1,000 cubic feet of gas to the firm in terminal installation costs and other expenses.
Bangladesh has also signed a deal with Oman to buy LNG. Besides that, the government has decided to buy from another 26 companies on the basis of spot market pricing.