Bangladesh’s energy security has once again shown its vulnerability amid the ongoing Middle East war, echoing challenges faced during the 2020 Russia-Ukraine conflict, as it relies heavily on timely fuel imports while maintaining only a short-term stock buffer.
At the same time, refining capacity has remained unchanged for 63 years, forcing Bangladesh to import large volumes of refined petroleum products at higher cost.
Data released in early March by the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) shows the country maintains a narrow fuel buffer. During that period, the stock of diesel, which accounts for around 65 percent of total fuel use, fell close to risk levels.
According to BPC, the country has 27 depots, including 11 riverine, nine railhead, and two barge depots, with storage capacity for 624,189 tonnes of diesel, 53,616 tonnes of petrol, and 37,013 tonnes of octane.
Based on average daily demand, these reserves can meet the country’s needs for about 35 to 40 days. However, after the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28 and Tehran retaliated, diesel stock briefly fell to levels sufficient for just 15 days and later dropped further to around 11 days, raising concerns among officials and the public.
With new shipments arriving, diesel reserves rose to about 14 days yesterday, with roughly 1,20,000 tonnes in stock. More deliveries are expected, officials said.
BPC data also shows the country currently has around 14,000 tonnes of petrol, enough for about 14 days, and 22,000 tonnes of octane, sufficient for around 24 days.
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Despite delays in scheduled arrivals, officials say supply remains manageable. Under BPC’s March import plan, Bangladesh is set to receive 2,00,000 tonnes of crude oil, 3,74,000 tonnes of diesel, 25,000 tonnes of octane, and 45,000 tonnes of jet fuel.
Energy experts said the current stock is essentially an “operational buffer”, meaning that if shipments were halted, the country would have around two weeks of routine supply before fuel-dependent activities begin to face disruption.
Officials added that agreements with oil refineries will ensure fuel supplies through June. Although some shipments have been slightly delayed, deliveries continue, and citizens have been advised to follow daily fuel caps per vehicle to ensure equitable access.
The government has launched mobile court drives across the country and deployed additional police at refuelling stations.
In Dhaka, drives were held at 13 filling stations yesterday. Six of them had no supply during the day. Three of them resumed sales in the evening after oil trucks arrived.
The power, energy and mineral resources ministry has also asked district administrations to monitor filling stations across the country.
“It is being observed that some petrol pumps and filling stations are selling fuel above the government-set price, stockpiling supplies for profit, or diverting fuel to the open market,” the ministry said in a letter.
BPC has also written to the home ministry seeking additional police patrols at filling stations to maintain order amid rising demand.
“Various incidents involving disputes between customers and station staff have been reported during the current period,” the letter said.
Officials said the temporary shortages seen over the weekend were mainly due to a sudden surge in demand, but the situation has been stabilising since depots resumed fuel releases yesterday.
Experts noted that Bangladesh still lacks a formal strategic fuel reserve, and even a modest emergency stockpile could strengthen the country’s ability to withstand global supply disruptions.
Prof M Tamim, an energy expert and vice-chancellor of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), suggested building an additional reserve equivalent to 15 days of fuel consumption to guard against volatility.
He mentioned that despite significant investments in energy infrastructure over the past decade, Bangladesh continues to operate with limited refining capacity and thin reserves.
The country’s only refinery, Eastern Refinery, built in 1963, can process about 1.5 million tonnes of crude oil annually, while Bangladesh imports 7–8 million tonnes of various petroleum products each year.
