Tk12,000cr fuel pipelines lie idle, bleeding public money

CHATTOGRAM, July 14 Two flagship fuel pipeline projects built by the state-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) at a combined cost of nearly Tk12,000 crore have remained largely idle long after commissioning, causing mounting financial losses and delaying expected savings in petroleum transportation.

The stalled projects are the 110-kilometre double pipeline under the Single Point Mooring (SPM) project and the 250-kilometre underground pipeline designed to transport petroleum products directly from Chattogram to Dhaka.

The SPM project, built at a cost of Tk8,300 crore, was commissioned in March 2024, while the 250-kilometre pipeline, costing Tk3,365 crore, was commissioned on August 27, 2025, at Padma Oil's Guptakhal terminal in Patenga.

The SPM, spread over 90 acres in Maheshkhali upazila of Cox's Bazar, was implemented under a government-to-government (G2G) initiative between Bangladesh and China. The Tk8,341-crore project completed test commissioning in 2024 and was expected to significantly cut fuel unloading time and reduce transportation costs.

However, commercial operation has yet to begin. Officials said a revised process for appointing the project operator has further delayed the launch, leaving the costly infrastructure unused and the anticipated economic benefits unrealised.