IOC inks pact with Bangladesh for LPG terminal

State-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC) today signed an agreement with Bangladesh Petroleum Corp (BPC) to set up an LPG import terminal at Chittagong and lay a pipeline from there to Tripura.

India plans to use the terminal at the Bangladeshi port to ship cooking gas or LPG which would then be piped to Tripura.

The MoU, signed during petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan's three-day visit to Bangladesh, "Paves the way for discussion on setting up LPG import terminal at coastal belt of Chittagong district, marketing of LPG and developing related infrastructure in Bangladesh and transportation of LPG from Chittagong to Tripura," an official statement said here.

Pradhan reached Dhaka on Monday to follow up on issues discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh in June last year.

He met Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, adviser on energy, power and mineral resources to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and Nasrul Hamid, Minister of State for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources of Bangladesh.

During the meetings, he discussed modalities for sustainable supply of diesel from Siliguri Marketing Terminal of Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) to Parbatipur Depot of BPC.

Pradhan expressed confidence that early implementation of these projects will create a win-win situation for both countries.

He briefed them about the status of seismic survey being carried out by ONGC Videsh Ltd in offshore blocks allocated to it by Bangladesh.

Pradhan will tomorrow travel to Chittagong where he is scheduled to witness the award of consultancy contract by Eastern Refineries Ltd to Engineers India Ltd for its expansion of refinery by 3 million tons per annum.