Super Petrochemical seeks to import crude oil for unauthorised refinery

In a letter dated 27 October to BPC Chairman Dr Rafiqul Islam, Super Petrochemical PLC Managing Director Mohammad Mostafa Haider sought approval to import four lakh tonnes of light crude and eight lakh tonnes of heavy crude for the 2027 calendar year.

A review of documents and correspondence obtained by Jago News through an investigation suggests that the application used “shrewd and deceptive explanations” to secure permission for crude oil imports. The letter referred to an official demand letter issued by BPC on 10 August, outlining a plan to supply 2.56 lakh tonnes of octane, 1.19 lakh tonnes of petrol, 4.66 lakh tonnes of diesel and 3.61 lakh tonnes of high-sulphur furnace oil (HFO) in 2027. Citing this stated fuel requirement, the company applied to import light and heavy crude as raw materials.

Earlier, in another letter dated 14 July addressed to the Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Super Petrochemical PLC had expressed interest in refining Saudi Arabian Light crude or the UAE's Murban crude at its under-construction plant, which has an annual capacity of 17.5 lakh metric tonnes (35,000 barrels per day). However, that letter also completely avoided mentioning that the plant had not received government approval.

Further investigation reveals that in its 27 October letter, the company presented “condensate” and “light crude” as if they were the same. However, experts and former senior officials of Eastern Refinery, the country’s only crude refinery and a government entity, say that condensate and light crude have entirely different origins and characteristics. Condensate is primarily a by-product of natural gas fields, whereas light crude is a petroleum product extracted directly from oil fields. BPC has never treated condensate as light crude.

Experts have expressed concern over the continued construction of infrastructure for an unapproved private refinery and its application to import raw materials, particularly at a time when the government is pursuing various initiatives to implement the expansion project of state-run Eastern Refinery.

Dr M Shamsul Alam, energy adviser to the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), said:

"Energy is currently an extremely sensitive sector worldwide. If a private refinery is built in the country without government approval, it will pose a serious threat to overall energy security. Establishing a refinery without government permission is a clear violation of existing laws, and those involved should be brought under strict legal punishment."

Regarding the private company's letter seeking permission to import crude oil, BPC Chairman Dr Rafiqul Islam said that the corporation had received the letter and its review team was examining the application. However, he avoided giving a specific answer to the question of how the refinery plant was continuing its operations without government approval.

Currently, some refined petroleum products are supplied to BPC from Super Petrochemical's fractionation plant. In the July 2024-Jun 2025 fiscal year, the still-unapproved private refinery supplied different petroleum products and by-products amounting to 2.56 lakh metric tonnes to BPC. These products were refined from naphtha, local condensate and imported condensate, but never included crude oil of any type.