Guwahati: A 130-kilometer pipeline project to transport fuel from Bangladesh to Assam’s Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) is anticipated to be completed in February.
The Indo-Bangla Friendship Pipeline (IBFPL) project will transport fuel from the NRL marketing terminal in Siliguri, West Bengal, to the Parbatipur depot on Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC).
It may be noted that the Centre had announced in 2017 about the project to construct a pipeline having a capacity of one million metric tonne per annum (MMTPA).
The project had a total cost of Rs. 377.08 crore, of which NRL provided funding of Rs. 91.84 for the building of the pipeline on the Indian side.
The Indian government is covering the remaining expense of Rs 285.24 crores for the building on the Bangladeshi side. Apparently, Bangladesh will receive a grant-in-aid from the Indian government.
A delegation from Assam visited the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh a visit in the meantime. According to a report submitted by the team, Bangladesh would begin importing oil and gas from NRL in the second part of 2023.