The government has allowed import of cleaner-graded furnace oil for consumption in the power plants to generate electricity.
The Energy and Mineral Resources Division (EMRD) under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MPEMR) issued a circular on May 31.
It gave directive for consumption of furnace oil with 2.0 per cent sulfur instead of 3.5 per cent in the power plants, said a senior MPEMR official.
The MPEMR subsequently instructed the state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) to take necessary actions to implement the directive.
Officials said the Bangladesh Independent Power Producers Association (BIPPA) has long been demanding the change in furnace oil specification to facilitate smooth import of furnace oil from the international market.
At present, cleaner furnace oil is easily available compared to dirty furnace oil due to the global campaign for increasing the use of cleaner fuels across the world, they said.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) announced a global sulfur cap regulation in October 2016.
It requires the ship owners to burn 0.5 per cent sulfur-compliant bunker fuel instead of the currently-used 3.5 per cent sulfur from January 01, 2020.
The import cost of furnace oil would, however, be a bit higher, up by around US$ 5.0 per tonne.
But the amount is negligible compared to the cleaner environment resulting from its use, the officials added.
Besides, consumption of cleaner furnace oil will ensure longevity of power plants and equipment.
According to the state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), there are a total of 52 oil-fired power plants across the country, of which 39 are run by furnace oil and 13 by diesel.
The furnace oil-fired power plants, owned by both private and public sectors, require importing around 2.5 million tonnes of furnace oil annually.
Bangladesh started importing cleaner-graded diesel with 0.05 per cent sulfur from January 2017.
The country earlier imported diesel with 0.50 per cent sulfur from the international market.
It imports around 4.0 million tonnes of diesel to meet domestic consumption.
