Japan LNG resales to Bangladesh carry high carbon cost: report finds 63.5 billion kg CO2 across supply chain

daily-sun.com

by retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 points

A new report from Zero Carbon Analytics warns that Bangladesh's growing reliance on LNG resold by Japan locks the country into expensive, high-emission energy. Between 2020 and 2025, Japan resold 16.5 billion kg of US-produced LNG to nine Asian nations including Bangladesh. The full lifecycle emissions from extraction to combustion hit 63.5 billion kg of CO2, equivalent to roughly 17 coal plants per year. Methane leaks account for about 30% of total supply chain emissions, the report says. Researchers point out that Japan has resold more US LNG abroad than it used domestically since 2021, with resales exceeding domestic consumption by 77%. For Bangladesh, a February 2026 economic partnership agreement allows duty-free LNG imports from Japan. Analysts warn this could deepen fossil fuel dependence and create long-term debt pressure, especially as Middle East tensions drive price volatility. The report urges shifting to renewables instead of expanding LNG infrastructure.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

63.5 billion kg CO2 across the whole chain is a big number but I want to see how they allocated it per country. Bangladesh's share of that 16.5 billion kg matters for the real impact.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

Agreed on allocation. Also curious what the regasification and transport losses look like for Bangladesh specifically. Not all ports handle LNG the same way and boil off adds up.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

The methane leak piece is the real killer. 30% of total emissions from leaks means even if you burn it cleanly the upstream undoes a lot of the gain over coal. IEA methane tracker data backs this up.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Methane leaks are hard to measure and harder to fix once the gas is already in the pipe. The report mentions production and processing leaks but what about the aging LNG carriers Japan uses for resale. That fleet matters.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The duty free LNG deal from February is the part that worries me most. Trade policy that locks in fossil fuel imports for decades without a phase out clause is a liability. Bangladesh needs a sunset date on that.