India has maintained regular supplies of diesel to Bangladesh under an existing contract and Dhaka’s request for additional supplies will be considered while keeping in mind availability and market conditions, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
The Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) made a request for 5,000 tonnes of diesel to be supplied from Numaligarh refinery in Assam over the weekend to tide over an energy crisis brought on by the Iran-US conflict, which has disrupted energy supply chains.
The people said that the cross-border Friendship Pipeline, operationalised in 2017, has been supplying diesel to Bangladesh on a commercial basis from Numaligarh Refinery Limited.
“This diesel supply is part of regular ongoing energy trade between the two countries,” one of the people said. “Fuel availability in India is being closely monitored.”
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Bangladesh’s request for additional diesel supplies will be considered in the context of domestic availability and conditions in the global market, the people said. The request from Dhaka has come at a time when both countries are engaged in efforts to repair their relations after a period of intense strains, and New Delhi has traditionally played a crucial role in meeting the energy needs of neighbouring countries.
Bangladesh has closed universities and introduced fuel rationing because of the worsening energy crisis. Public and private universities across the country were shut on Monday, as authorities brought forward the Eid al-Fitr holidays as part of emergency measures to conserve fuel. Bangladesh, which relies on imports for 95% of its energy requirements, imposed daily limits on fuel sales after panic buying last week.
{{/usCountry}}Bangladesh has closed universities and introduced fuel rationing because of the worsening energy crisis. Public and private universities across the country were shut on Monday, as authorities brought forward the Eid al-Fitr holidays as part of emergency measures to conserve fuel. Bangladesh, which relies on imports for 95% of its energy requirements, imposed daily limits on fuel sales after panic buying last week.
{{/usCountry}}The demand for additional diesel stocks, in order to maintain stable fuel reserves and ensure uninterrupted supplies, was raised by Bangladesh’s finance minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury during a meeting with Indian high commissioner Pranay Verma over the weekend. Reports in the Bangladeshi media said Dhaka had sought an additional 50,000 tonnes of diesel over the next four months from India.
This is in addition to an existing agreement for Bangladesh to import 180,000 tonnes of diesel from the Numaligarh refinery by December 2026.