Bangladesh not to buy unrefined oil from Russia: State Minister for Energy

Various countries are showing interest to sell oil to Bangladesh, said State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid on Tuesday.

He further said the utility of the oil in the country needs to be assessed. Russian unrefined oil is not appropriate for use in the refineries in Bangladesh. That’s why the Russian unrefined oil will not be bought, the State Minister added.

Nasrul Hamid said this while answering a question of a newsperson at a meet the press programme titled ’50 Years of Power Development Board: Achievements and Prospects’ at Bidyut Bhaban in the capital on Tuesday.

Forum for Energy Reporters’ Bangladesh and PDB jointly organised the programme.

Earlier, on Monday, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen informed newspersons of seeking India’s advice regarding buying oil from Russia. When Nasrul Hamid’s attention was drawn to the Foreign Minister’s statement, the State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources said they have been thinking about refined oil.

He further said there is no crisis of fuel in the country. But we have been observing the trend in the international market as the price is fluctuating there.

Regarding the process of increasing price of gas and electricity, the State Minister said the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) would definitely fix an acceptable price for all. Based on that price they would seek subsidy for the power sector.

Mentioning that setting an acceptable price for all and supplying uninterrupted electricity a big challenge, he also said he could not set any fixed time to ensure those. “Many things will be in details in the mega plan on power and energy sector.”

Recently, Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FBCCI), the apex business body in the country, leaders expressed their grievances over lack of transparency and inefficiency in the power sector. Pressed on about it, State Minister Nasrul Hamid said the businesspersons could talk about uninterrupted power supply and affordable price. But it’s not appropriate for them to talk about how many oil-run power plants will be there or what should be the efficiency level.

Power Development Board chairman Md Mahbubur Rahman gave the welcome address at the programme.