India has maintained regular supplies of diesel fuel to Bangladesh under an existing contract, and Dhaka’s request for additional supplies will be considered taking into account availability and market conditions, sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) ordered 5,000 tons of diesel from Numaligarh refinery in Assam over the weekend to overcome the energy crisis caused by the Iran-US conflict, which has disrupted energy supply chains.
The cross-border Friendship Pipeline, which was commissioned in 2017, was supplying diesel to Bangladesh on a commercial basis from Numaligarh Refinery Limited, the people said.
“These diesel supplies are part of the regular and 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 local availability and conditions in the global market, the sources said. The request from Dhaka comes at a time when the two countries are making efforts to repair their relations after a period of high tension, and New Delhi has traditionally played a crucial role in meeting the energy needs of neighboring countries.
Bangladesh closed universities and introduced fuel rationing due to the worsening energy crisis. Public and private universities were closed across the country on Monday, as authorities introduced the Eid al-Fitr holiday as part of emergency measures to conserve fuel. Bangladesh, which relies on imports to meet 95% of its energy needs, imposed daily limits on fuel sales after panic buying last week.
Bangladeshi Finance Minister Amir Khusro Mahmood Chowdhury raised the demand for additional diesel stocks, in order to maintain stable fuel reserves and ensure uninterrupted supplies, during a meeting with Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma over the weekend. Reports in Bangladeshi media said that Dhaka has requested an additional 50,000 tons of diesel over the next four months from India.
This is in addition to an existing agreement for Bangladesh to import 180,000 tons of diesel from Numaligarh refinery by December 2026.
