As part of the interim government’s efforts to reduce project expenses, the construction of Eastern Refi nery Limited’s second unit (ERL-2) has been cut by Tk4,465 crore, even before work has begun.
A revised proposal puts the project’s new cost at Tk31,000 crore, down from Tk35,465 crore, and has been submitted to the Planning Commission. On 23 December, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the project conditionally, asking for a review of various components, senior planning commission offi cials said.
They said Ecnec had asked to revise detailed engineering, design, construction supervision, commissioning, and associated buildings and infrastructure – to ensure costs were reasonable. Following the directives, a cost review committee was formed under Amin Ul Ahsan, chairman of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), with offi cials from ERL and the energy division.