Supply of diesel to Bangladesh through Friendship Pipeline part of regular energy trade; fuel availability closely monitored in India: Sources

New Delhi [India], March 10 (ANI): The supply of diesel to Bangladesh through the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline is part of the regular ongoing energy trade between the two countries, Government of India sources said, amidst growing pressure on global fuel supplies due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.

According to sources, the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFP) has been supplying diesel to Bangladesh on a commercial basis from Assam's Numaligarh Refinery Limited, noting that the fuel supply is part of the routine bilateral energy cooperation between the two neighbouring countries.

The source further stated that the fuel availability in India is also being closely monitored amid the pressure on global fuel supplies.

"The India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline has been supplying diesel to Bangladesh on a commercial basis from the Numaligarh Refinery Limited. This diesel supply is part of regular ongoing energy trade between the two countries. Fuel availability in India is being closely monitored," the Government of India sources said.

The pipeline was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Numaligarh Refinery Limited has been supplying petroleum products to Bangladesh since 2015.

According to an official release, IBFP is the first cross-border energy pipeline between India and Bangladesh with a capacity to transport 1 Million Metric Ton Per Annum (MMTPA) of High-Speed Diesel (HSD) to Bangladesh.

This comes after Chairman of the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), Muhammad Rezanur Rahman, informed that 5,000 tonnes of diesel are being imported from India to Bangladesh today. This diesel will enter via the Parbatipur border.

"We have an agreement with India, and according to that agreement, India will supply 180,000 tonnes of diesel to Bangladesh via the pipeline each year. The 5,000 tonnes of diesel that are arriving now are a part of that agreement," he told ANI over the phone.

"According to the agreement, at least 90,000 tons of diesel should be imported to Bangladesh within six months. The consignment arriving today is 5,000 tonnes, and we hope that within the next two months, we will bring in the total diesel amount for the entire six months," the BPC chairman said. (ANI)

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