For the first time, jet fuel transportation has started through pipeline at Chattogram Airport to ensure safe fuel supply in a modern, environment-friendly, time-saving manner.
Plane fuel transportation through pipeline has started at Shah Amanat International Airport, 5.77 kilometers away from the main establishment of Padma Oil PLC in Patenga Guptakhal in Chattogram city.
Earlier, fuel was transported by truck through vouchers to the airport. This took 15-20 trips and a maximum of 24 hours to complete. Now, fuel supply will be possible in just 90 minutes through the new pipeline. The main objective of this project is to ensure security in fuel supply.
Energy and Mineral Resources Department, Secretary Mohammad Saiful Islam inaugurated the Chattogram Jet A-1 Pipeline project from the main establishment (MI) in Patenga to Shah Amanat International Airport on Tuesday.
He said that jet fuel transportation through pipeline will play an important role in meeting the needs of the next 30 years. 4 crore will be saved every year. This is positive for system loss and energy security. BPC affiliates will now come to the automation process through modern technology. However, the project director has contributed to this work. Jet fuel will be supplied directly from Patenga Depot in Chattogram to Shah Amanat International Airport through this pipeline. This is the first time that an airport in the country has received such a facility. In addition, the same method is being followed at Dhaka Airport.
Saiful Islam said that Chattogram Airport requires an average of 2 lakh to 3 lakh of jet fuel daily. Which has increased to about 3 lakh liters with the demand. Until now, fuel was transported by truck through vouchers, which took 15 to 20 trips and a maximum of 24 hours. Jet fuel will be supplied in 90 minutes through the new pipeline. This will save more than 2 crore taka annually.
Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) Chairman Md. Amin-ul-Ahsan presided over the program.
The special guests were Air Vice Marshal Haider Abdullah, Air Commander of Bangladesh Air Force Base Zahurul Haque, Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation Director (Operations and Transport) Dr. AKM Azadur Rahman, and Shah Amanat International Airport Director Group Captain Sheikh Abdullah Alamgir.
Padma Oil PLC Managing Director Md. Mofizur Rahman and Project Director Engineer Anup Kumar Barua also spoke. Mufti Abdur Razzak offered prayers and supplications at the event.
Air Vice Marshal Haider Abdullah, Air Commander of Bangladesh Air Force Base Zahurul Haque, said, 30 flights take off and land daily. This would require a lot of jet fuel. But due to the transportation of oil through the pipeline, it will take less time. This will also increase the capacity of the Air Force.
BPC Chairman (Secretary) Md. Amin-ul-Ahsan said, we are moving towards automation for fuel security. BPC took up the Jet A-1 pipeline project with the aim of providing safe fuel. The project was completed ahead of schedule and saved money, which was a great achievement. The cooperation of the Air Force was also commendable.
Project officials said that Jet A-1 was supplied to Shah Amanat Aviation Depot, eight kilometers away, from Padma Oil Tanker in Patenga, Chattogram. The cost of transporting this fuel was 8 crore taka per year. The airport's demand is 2 lakh 25 thousand liters per day, 65 thousand tons per year. In this, jet fuel was supplied to Shah Amanat Airport using 10-15 fuel bowsers. Since this was time-consuming, expensive and risky, initiatives were taken to supply fuel through the pipeline. For this, the government took up a project titled 'Jet A-1 Pipeline from MI to Shah Amanat Airport'. Padma Oil PLC started the construction of the pipeline on December 19, 2023 at a cost of 170 crore taka. Under the project, a 5.77-kilometer-long pipeline has been constructed from the city's Patenga Depot to Shah Amanat International Airport. 140 cubic meters of fuel is being transported per hour through a minimum 1.5-meter underground pipeline with an 8-inch diameter internal epoxy coat and an external 3 LPE coat. The 30-year project is being controlled by a SCADA-operated control and automation system.
Earlier, Padma Oil PLC had started this operation on a trial basis at the Chattogram Shah Amanat International Airport. In addition, 350,000 liters of jet fuel have been sent to the airport through the pipeline from the company's main establishment. A metering skid house with pumps and filtration has been installed at the main establishment of Padma Oil to send jet fuel to the airport.
Project Director Engineer Anup Kumar Barua said that the planes taking off and landing at Shah Amanat Airport require an average of two to three lakh liters of jet fuel every day. This demand increases to 3 lakh liters every year during the Hajj season. With the official start of jet fuel supply through the pipeline, it will be possible to meet the jet fuel demand of this important airport of the country in just two hours. Now an operator can operate the pump through a computer.
Padma Oil PLC Managing Director Md. Mofizur Rahman said that for the first time in the history of the country, jet fuel is being sent to the airport through a pipeline. No other airport has this facility. This activity is being started through Shah Amanat Airport. This is a milestone for the energy sector.
He said that although the project was supposed to be launched in December as per the proposal, we were able to inaugurate it earlier. Jet fuel transportation by road was time-consuming, expensive and risky. The new pipeline will make the supply safe, fast and cost-effective.
