Acting Energy Minister Arvydas Sekmokas told BNS on Monday that he could neither confirm not deny this information supplied by unofficial sources.
"All offers are confidential. I can neither confirm nor deny. I can only say that the offers are really interesting," he said.
Rokas Masiulis, the CEO of Klaipėdos Nafta (Klaipėda Oil), the developer of the LNG terminal project, also told BNS that he could not make any comments on this issue.
"I can only say that 16 participants are taking part in negotiations. We will announce more information in the near future," he said.
Sekmokas said earlier that the price at which gas would be supplied to Lithuania by sea starting 2015 should be known in December.
Gazprom currently supplies gas to Lithuania for around 519 US dollars per 1,000 cubic meters.
Sixteen companies, whose names are not being disclosed at the moment, are willing to supply LNG to the terminal in Klaipėda. Klaipėdos Nafta plans to approve a set of key terms and conditions for LNG supply contract early in 2013, with a full-scale contract to be signed by mid-2013.
A representative of Cheniere has formally confirmed to BNS that the US energy company is taking part in the LNG procurement process.
Spain's Gas Natural Fenosa, Qatargas, Azerbaijan's state oil company Socar, and Norway's oil and gas company Statoil are also thought to be among the participants.
Klaipėdos Nafta plans to buy 750 million cubic meters of gas per year starting 2015 under a 10-year contract. The LNG terminal is expected to be operational by the end of 2014.
