The Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation has decided to import 1,30,000 tonnes of diesel from India鈥檚 Numaligarh Refinery Limited at an estimated cost of Tk 1,137 crore.
The decision was taken at a meeting of BPC鈥檚 board of directors on January 12.
The proposed import of diesel will be utilised in the current calendar year, said BPC chairman Md Amin Ul Ahsan.
The BPC chairman also said that they would import 70,000 tonnes of diesel between January and June this year, and another 40,000 tonnes between July and December.
Additionally, a reserve of 20,000 tonnes has been approved for a potential extra demand.聽
The proposal has been sent to the Energy and Mineral Resources Division for approval from the Advisory Committee on government purchase.
Upon receiving the approval, the import process will begin, said the BPC chairman.
For 2024, BPC鈥檚 refined fuel demand stands at 7.4 million tonnes, of which 4.6 million are diesel.
Approximately 80 per cent of the diesel demand is met through direct imports, while the remaining diesel is sourced from local refineries.
The BPC has been importing refined fuel from NRL since January 2016, utilising train transport. To facilitate increased imports, the Bangladesh-India Friendship Pipeline was established, connecting Numaligarh to Parbatipur in Dinajpur.
Last year, Bangladesh imported 70,055 tonnes of diesel from NRL.聽
Beyond India, Bangladesh plans to import 1.425 million metric tonnes of refined fuel from eight companies across seven countries between January and June this year.
These include China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. The total cost for these imports is estimated at Tk 11,479 crore.聽
The imports include 880,000 tonnes of gas oil, 190,000 tonnes of Jet A-1 fuel, 75,000 tonnes of mogas (gasoline), 250,000 tonnes of furnace oil, and 30,000 tonnes of marine fuel.
These imports are part of Bangladesh鈥檚 strategy to meet the rising demand for refined fuel and ensuring energy security through diversified sources.
The construction of the Bangladesh-India Friendship Pipeline began in March 2020 after being jointly inaugurated via videoconference on September 18, 2018, by then Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. The project was implemented jointly by Numaligarh Refinery Limited and Bangladesh鈥檚 Meghna Petroleum Limited.