Those watching the project tell TradeWinds that Reliance has thrown out offers it received from FSRU providers, indicating that they deviated too far from the original specifications.
Instead, the company has informed bidders it plans to seek a vessel to serve as an FSU to work in conjunction with an onshore-based regasification kit. A tender and full details of the new requirement have yet to emerge.
Consultants indicate that several shipowners are now targeting this business. With the market still long on shipping and a number of steam turbine candidates available for other business, brokers say there will be no shortage of vessels that could be offered in.
Reliance went out to the market a year ago requesting expressions of interest in providing an FSRU to serve its planned 750-megawatt power plant project for Meghnaghat to the south-east of the capital, Dhaka, which is scheduled for a 2018 to 2019 start-up.
The Indian gas buyer said it planned to select an FSRU provider in the fourth quarter of 2016.
It initially opened for an FSRU of around 154,000 cbm, with a send-out capacity of 125 million to 300 million standard cubic feet per day, requesting offers against a five or 22-year charter-hire period. The unit was to be located at one of two sites in the Moheshkhali area, near Chittagong.
Up-for-sale Excelerate Energy, which won the contract from Petrobangla to provide Bangladesh’s first FSRU import project, was widely tipped to be in pole position for the Reliance job.
Reliance officials say they are not permitted to respond to media questions on the project.
