Dec 7 (Reuters) – Turkish Petroleum International Company is to supply Bangladesh with 60,000 tonnes of gasoil in 2015 for the first time to meet growing demand for fuel, the chairman of the state Bangladesh Petroleum Corp (BPC) said on Sunday.
Last month, BPC concluded negotiations on imports of oil products during the first half of 2015 with 10 companies, including Turkish Petroleum.
The Turkish company will supply 60,000 tonnes of gasoil with 500 parts-per-million (ppm), BPC Chairman Mohammad Eunusur Rahman told Reuters.
Premiums for gasoil with 500 ppm were fixed at $4.60 a barrel over Middle East quotes, as the country aims to lower the sulphur content of its gasoil imports from January 2015, in line with a global move towards cleaner fuel.
The BPC finalised its gasoil with 2,500 ppm sulphur contract for January-June period at a premium of $4.50 per barrel over Middle East quotes, down from $4.80 per barrel for the second half of 2014.
The BPC plans to import 2.5 million tonnes of gasoil in 2015.
A shortage of natural gas has forced the South Asian country to turn to costly oil-fired power plants.
The BPC’s 33,000-barrels-per-day refinery in Chittagong meets about 30 percent of the country’s fuel oil needs. (Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Robert Birsel)
