Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurated the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFP) in a virtual mode. The foundation stone for the construction of this pipeline was laid by both Prime Ministers in September 2018. Numaligarh Refinery Limited has been supplying petroleum products to Bangladesh since 2015. This is the second cross-border energy pipeline between India and its neighbours.
Cooperation in the power and energy sector has become one of the hallmarks of India-Bangladesh relations. IBFP is the first cross border energy pipeline between India and Bangladesh with a capacity to transport 1 million metric tonne per annum (MMTPA) of high-speed diesel (HSD) to Bangladesh. Enhanced connectivity with Bangladesh will further strengthen people to people linkages between two sides.
This is the first cross-border pipeline between the two countries. It has been built at a cost of about Rs 377 crore. Out of the total cost, Rs 285 crore has been spent on laying the pipeline in Bangladesh. India has spent this amount under grant aid. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, one million tonnes of high-speed diesel can be sent through the pipeline in a year, initially, it will be sent to seven districts of northern Bangladesh. The operationalisation of the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline will establish a sustainable, reliable, cost-effective and environment-friendly way of moving HSD from India to Bangladesh and further enhance cooperation in energy security between the two countries.
