India has supplied more diesel to Bangladesh to meet the country’s needs for fuel amid a rise in demand.
The diesel came as part of the pipeline’s 72nd consignment. This is the second cross-border energy pipeline between India and its neighbours. Cooperation in the power and energy sector has become one of the hallmarks of India-Bangladesh relations. In August this year, India had received Dhaka’s request for additional supply of petroleum products.
In March this year, as Bangladesh was facing a crisis due to a supply challenge amid Middle East tensions, 17,000 metric tonnes of diesel were imported through the pipeline Bangladesh imported 8,000 tonnes of refined diesel in July from India after buying 17,000 tonnes in March, 25,000 tonnes in April, and 8,000 tonnes in May. Nearly 4,000 metric tonnes (MT) or 47 lakh litres of diesel have arrived at the Parbatipur Receiving Terminal Depot in Dinajpur from India through the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline. The transfer began at 9 am on September 13 and ended on September 15, Operation Manager of Dinajpur Parbatipur Rail Depot Md Robiul Alam said. Under a 2018 bilateral agreement, Bangladesh agreed to import around 2 million tonnes of diesel over 15 years. Since the pipeline was inaugurated in March 2023, Bangladesh has imported 330,087 tonnes of diesel through it. The India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFP) was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in March 2023. The foundation stone for the construction of this pipeline was laid by both Prime Ministers in September 2018. Numaligarh Refinery Limited has been supplying petroleum products to Bangladesh since 2015. 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.
