Eastern Refinery's second unit to be trialled in 2029

The government is moving ahead with plans to set up a second unit at the country's only government-owned oil refinery, Eastern Refinery PLC, to increase its capacity and strengthen energy security. 

The second unit will be operational in 2029. International tenders will be invited next month. State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam gave this information while visiting Eastern Refinery PLC at 10 am on Friday. 

The State Minister said that the government aims to take the implementation of the project to a visible stage within the current term. Once this unit is operational, the country's crude oil refining capacity will increase significantly.

Anindya Islam said, "If the new unit is launched, it will be easier to diversify the sources of fuel oil. There will be an opportunity to import crude oil from different countries and refine it domestically, reducing dependence on the Middle East to some extent. This will make it possible to relatively reduce the impact of global market instability or regional crises.

" The State Minister told reporters that the Eastern Refinery, which started its journey in 1968, has been serving as one of the pillars of the country's energy supply system. The company has the capacity to refine about 1.5 million metric tons of crude oil annually. A large part of this oil comes from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which has long made Bangladesh dependent on the Middle East for its energy supply.

Noting that the instability in the Middle East that began in late February has had an impact on oil supplies in March and April, the State Minister said, "However, this is not just a problem for Bangladesh. Almost all countries dependent on the Middle East are under the same pressure."

Stating that the refinery's production is going slowly, the company's Managing Director Md. Sharif Hasnat said, "Currently, the operations of two units have been suspended. However, the production of gasoline and bitumen is going on. This month, one lakh tons of crude oil will arrive in a ship from Yanbu port in Saudi Arabia." Energy Secretary Md. Saiful Islam, Joint Secretary Monir Hossain Chowdhury and others were also present during the inspection of the Eastern Refinery.

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