Home ›› 11 Mar 2023 ›› Front
The India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline in Parbatipur upazila of Dinajpur will ensure power and energy security in the northern region, said State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid on Friday.
“It will be a milestone in providing fuel to the northern region of the country quickly, uninterruptedly and in a cost-effective manner,” he said.
After visiting the project area, the state minister gave reporters details about the benefits of the pipeline.
Nasrul said the Fellowship Receipt Terminal will be the first modern automatic and computerised system in the country. If something is done in the pipeline on the way or otherwise, the place of automaticity can be identified immediately, he added.
Two and a half to three lakh tonnes of diesel will be imported annually from Numaligarh Refinery Station in India to Parbatipur Resort Terminal in Dinajpur through a 131.57km underground pipeline.
In addition to reducing the cost, it has created a big ring for fuel security. At least 40,000 litres of fuel have been stored at the terminal and depot for two months.
The price of diesel per barrel imported in different ways is $11.50. Because of imports through the pipeline, the price will come down to only $6.
With the import of diesel in Parbatipur, the supply of fuel will be ensured for irrigation pumps in the agriculturally dependent northern region and the power plant in Saidpur for the production of electricity.
At the end of the 15-year contract, it will either be renewed or run by the government itself. Nasrul thanked everyone involved in the project as it has been completed before the scheduled time.
According to the project details, the construction period of the pipeline was fixed to complete in June 2023 at a cost of Tk 306 crore. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi are scheduled to inaugurate the supply of fuel to the pipeline through videoconferencing on March 18.
On September 18, 2018, the two leaders inaugurated the pipeline construction work. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in this regard on April 9, 2018.
Energy and Mineral Resources Division Secretary Md Khairuzzaman Mozumder, Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) Chairman ABM Azad, and Petrobangla Chairman Zanendra Nath Sarker, among others, accompanied Nasrul Hamid during his visit to the pipeline project area.
