BPC in trouble

A purchase order by the Bangladesh Power Development Board to import extra quantities of diesel and furnace oil has put the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation in big trouble.

According to official sources, the BPDB placed an extra order to BPC to import 1,05,800 tonnes of diesels and 101,000 MT of furnace oil for the month of October this year to meet its requirement in the liquid fuel-fired power plants run by private operators as well as by the government.

The BPC promptly moved to import the petroleum to avert any crisis in the power generation.

“But this emergency import of the two fuel items has ultimately put the BPC in big trouble as the BPDB is not now receiving the extra fuel”, said a top official of the BPC preferring not be named.

He noted this extra import of furnace oil and diesel has created an extra burden for the BPC as it has very limited storage capacity.

“We had to import the fuel at a higher price and keep the petroleum in the vessel for several days in the sea”, he added.

Sources said the BPC already informed the BPDB through a letter dated October 27 about the trouble with the imported extra fuels.

In the letter, the BPC mentioned that the BPDB has received only 25,836 tonnes of diesel against a purchase order for 1,05,800 tonnes and 41,704 tonnes of furnace oil against a purchase order of 101,000 MT of furnace oil.

“If the BPDB does not receive the remaining oils, it would not be possible to further import the petroleum as per requirement”, the letter warned the principal petroleum marketing agency.