India and Bangladesh to inaugurate Friendship Pipeline today
1 min read . Updated: 18 Mar 2023, 04:22 PM IST
PremiumThis is the first cross border energy pipeline between India and Bangladesh, built at an estimated cost of ₹377 crore
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina will virtually inaugurate the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline today.
“This is the first cross border energy pipeline between India and Bangladesh, built at an estimated cost of INR 377 crore, of which the Bangladesh portion of the pipeline built at a cost of approx. INR 285 crore, has been borne by the Government of India under grant assistance," reads a press release by the Ministry of External Affairs.
“The Pipeline has a capacity to transport 1 Million Metric Ton Per Annum (MMTPA) of High-Speed Diesel (HSD). It will supply High Speed Diesel initially to seven districts in northern Bangladesh," the same press release says.
Construction on the pipeline began in 2018 with the aid of India’s grant funding. The friendship pipeline runs from Siliguri to Parbatipur.
“The operation of India- Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline will put in place a sustainable, reliable, cost-effective and environment friendly mode of transporting HSD from India to Bangladesh and will further enhance cooperation in energy security between the two countries," according to the MEA.
Cooperation between India and Bangladesh in the energy sector also extends to the power sector. In 2010, New Delhi and Dhaka signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the power sector. In 2013, the first cross-border power connection between the two countries was set up.
Bangladesh also designated the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) as a recognised government to government (G2G) exporter of refined products to Bangladesh.
During Sheikh Hasina’s September 2022 visit to India, cooperation on energy, and electricity transmission lines, also continued to gather pace.
