Bangladesh’s fuel oil capacity increasing

Mahfuja Mukul: The amount of oil stored in the country can meet the needs of the entire country for up to 45 days. Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) said that this capacity is increasing for another five days. At the same time, new pipelines are being added for fuel transportation. If these projects are completed, the fuel supply system of the country will change, the people concerned think.
Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) has recently informed that the Dhaka-Chittagong pipeline construction work is progressing rapidly in addition to increasing fuel oil storage capacity for an average of five more days in the country. When the pipeline is inaugurated, there will be a revolutionary change in the transportation of fuel oil.
According to the sources of the organization, from 2009 to 2023, in these 15 years, the storage capacity of fuel oil has reached 13 lakh 90 thousand metric tons from 9 lakh metric tons. That is, 4 lakh 90 thousand metric tons of fuel stock has increased.
BPC says that the current storage capacity is capable of meeting 40 to 45 days of fuel demand. This storage capacity of BPC has been increased to 50 days.
Also, construction of 249.57 km oil pipeline from Chittagong to Dhaka is underway for uninterrupted, fast and cost-effective transportation to Comilla, Narayanganj, Dhaka and its surrounding areas to ensure the supply of fuel oil from the main installation in Chittagong. So far 228 km pipeline of the project has been completed.
Again, 131.5 km long India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline has been constructed from the Siliguri terminal of India’s Numaligarh Refinery to Parvatipur, Dinajpur in Bangladesh to ensure uninterrupted supply of necessary fuel in the northern part of the country.
Besides, the pipeline is being constructed from Godnail to the airport in Narayanganj. This project, if implemented, will enable uninterrupted supply of jet fuel. This will disrupt the supply of jet fuel.
In total, around 624 km of oil pipelines are being laid across the country to supply oil. Out of this, the work of laying 590 km of pipeline has already been completed.
The implementation of the ‘Installation of Single Point Mooring (SPM) with Double Pipeline’ project has also been completed for short term discharge and transportation of crude oil and refined diesel.
As a result of these initiatives, there will be a major change in the fuel oil supply system and at the same time the state-owned organization BPC will also benefit, the stakeholders believe. Chairman of the organization ABM Azad recently said that along with the storage capacity of fuel oil, the transportation system is being improved. BPC’s profit will increase due to reduction in system loss. At the same time the cost of transportation will be reduced.
Pointing out that the work of the project to release the crude oil and diesel in the sea has already been completed, he said, “I hope Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the project soon.”