Dhaka (Platts)--3Feb2012/1255 am EST/555 GMT

Bangladesh has extended the final bid deadline for the four international companies shortlisted to build the country's first LNG import terminal to April 15, Petrobangla Chairman Hussain Monsur said Friday.

The initial January 31 deadline was extended in response to requests from the four bidders, who were shortlisted 45 days before that, he said.

The shortlisted companies are Bermuda-based Golar LNG Energy, a consortium of US' Astra Oil and Excelerate Energy, South Korea's Samsung C&T Corporation and India's Hiranandani Electricity.

Bangladesh is planning a floating LNG import terminal with a capacity to handle 5 million mt/year of LNG, regasification capacity of at least 500,000 Mcf/d, and berthing and mooring facilities for LNG ships with a capacity of 138,000-260,000 cubic meters.

Separately, state-owned Gas Transmission Company Limited has moved to lay a 91 km (56.54 mile) Moheshkhali-Anowara gas transmission pipeline to carry regasified LNG from the terminal to shore.

Petrobangla had initially set a target to build the terminal by 2012.

Bangladesh in January signed a memorandum of understanding to import 4 million mt/year of LNG from Qatar Petroleum, and its private sector is now allowed to import LNG under the country's newly formulated import policy.

The country is battling an acute natural gas crisis, with gas output hovering around 2.04 Bcf/d against demand of over 2.50 Bcf/d.

The regasified gas from the terminal will first be supplied to the port city of Chittagong where the supply shortfall is most acute.

--Mohammad Azizur Rahman, newsdesk@platts.com