Bangladesh has approved the purchase of 1.8 lakh tonnes of diesel from Assam-based Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) by December this year, strengthening cross-border energy trade between India’s Northeast and its eastern neighbour.
The decision was taken by Bangladesh’s Advisory Committee on Government Purchase at a meeting in Dhaka on January 6, chaired by Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed. The state-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) will import the diesel, with payments to be made partly through direct settlement and partly through bank financing.
Officials familiar with the transaction said the import cost was finalised following negotiations with NRL, a subsidiary of Oil India Limited. The deal has been valued at 14.62 billion Taka, or approximately $119.13 million, calculated at a premium of $5.50 per barrel over a base price of $83.22 per barrel. The final cost will vary in line with prevailing international crude prices.
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Bangladesh’s Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan said the supply was being executed under a long-term agreement.
“The import is being executed under a 15-year long-term supply agreement signed during the previous government’s tenure,” Khan told reporters.
NRL operates its refinery at Numaligarh in Assam. The diesel will be transported from the refinery to Siliguri in West Bengal before being supplied to Bangladesh through the Bangladesh–India Friendship Pipeline, which became operational in December 2022.
The deal marks a significant step in expanding regional energy cooperation and underscores the growing role of the Northeast in India’s cross-border fuel trade.
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