A 130 kilometer long pipeline project to carry fuel from Assam’s Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) to Bangladesh is likely to be commissioned in February.

The project titled Indo-Bangla Friendship Pipeline (IBFPL) will deliver fuel from NRL’s marketing terminal in West Bengal’s Siliguri to 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 was undertaken at a total cost of Rs 377.08 crore of which NRL financed Rs 91.84 for the construction of the pipeline on the Indian side.

The remaining cost of Rs 285.24 crores for the construction on the Bangladesh side is being borne by the Indian government. This will a grant-in-aid from the Indian government to Bangladesh, according to reports.

Meanwhile, a delegation from Assam also visited the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. A report filed by the team mentioned that Bangladesh will start to import oil and gas from NRL by the second half of 2023.