SPM is an infrastructure, to be built in the Bay of Bengal, from where petroleum
products will be carried through pipelines from mother vessels � to be moored from offshore to oil storage tanks onshore
Single point mooring to cut oil pilferage, reduce supply time
Project to be placed before ECNEC meet today
JAGARAN CHAKMA
Finally after five years of initiative the Single Point Mooring (SPM) project is going to be tabled at the meeting of Executive Committee of National Economic Council today.
ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will preside over the meeting to be held at the NEC conference room at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the city today.
The meeting is likely to consider a total of 10 projects including nine new and one revised projects.
State-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) initiated the SPM project for handling crude oil from Kutubdia Island to Patenga in Chittagong in a bid to tackle oil pilferage and reduce time for fuel oil supply across the country.
SPM is an infrastructure, to be built in the Bay of Bengal, from where petroleum products will be carried through pipelines from mother vessels to be moored from offshore to oil storage tanks onshore.
After delay of over five years, the government has now set a target to implement the project by 2018.
The BPC has already received an unsolicited technical offer from a Chinese petroleum firm named China Petroleum Pipeline Bureau (CPPB) and memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on September 29, 2014, for building the SPM in the Bay of Bengal to carry petroleum products onshore.
The state-owned company will set up a 107km pipeline under the SPM project with investment from the Chinese EXIM Bank.
On May 20, 2011, BPC appointed ILF Engineering Consultancy, a German firm, to study the details for installing the SPM at a cost of 7.184m.
ILF meanwhile has recently carried out a fresh study and suggested changes in the projects volume which will push up cost.
In its latest study, the German firm said BPC should build two more separate 18 and 10 inch-diameter product pipelines at the outer anchorage in the Bay to the Moheshkhali Island to carry both crude and refined petroleum products onshore.
According to project summary, out of the estimated project cost, Tk 920.87 crore would come from the government exchequer, Tk 111.90 crore from the organizations own fund while Tk 3,903.20 crore as project assistance from the Chinese EXIM Bank.
The main objectives of the project are to ensure unloading of imported crude oil and Finished Products (HSD) with ease, safely, with low cost and in short time, reducing the system loss in import of crude and finished products through lighterage operation, keeping balance between the growing demand of energy and its supply, enhancing the petroleum oil retention capacity through setting up of a diesel and crude oil storage tank farm at Moheshkhali and increasing energy supply security.
Under the project, there will be establishment of SPM and Pipe Line End Manifold (PLEM), setting up of 220 kilometer pipeline, setting up tank farm and pump station at Moheshkhali, setting of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system, land acquisition and compensation, expertise services, establishment of fire fighting system and related works.
The Pre Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting on the project was held on October 26 where the Planning Commission recommended for giving approval to the project.
Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Limited under the Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry will implement the proposed project by June 2019 at a cost of Tk 1423.89 crore.
Of the estimated project cost, the government would provide Tk 324.75 crore, KfW of Germany would provide Tk 625.20 crore as project assistance while the rest of Tk 473.94 crore from PGCB.
The main activities of the project include establishment of some 80 kilometer Ishwardi-Rajshahi 230 KV transmission line, establishment of some 53 kilometer Gollamari-Gopalganj 132 KV transmission line, construction of 25 kilometer Baghabari-Bhangura single circuit 132 KV transmission line, establishment of 31 kilometer Mongla-Bagerhat single circuit 132 KV transmission line, some 80 kilometer Bheramara-Rajbari 132 KV transmission line redirecting.
