Bashundhara bitumen goes into production this month
Bangladesh's first dedicated bitumen plant established by Bashundhara Group at a cost of around $143.7 million is ready to begin commercial production towards the end of this month to meet up the domestic demand for asphalt.
The plant can create a whopping 9 lakh tonnes of bitumen a year.
However, the factory established on a 65-acre plot at Pangaon in Keraniganj will produce around 2.75 lakh tonnes in the original phase.
"We desire to bring the merchandise to the marketplace in December this year," said Nafis Imtiaz Alam, head of the plant.
The unit was scheduled to start out commercial operations in April but the coronavirus outbreak delayed the procedure, he said.
A 13-member team from the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) led by its Additional Chief Engineer Abdullah Al Mamun visited the plant to examine its quality control measures and equipment setup on Saturday.
Currently, 90 per cent of Bangladesh's twelve-monthly demand for 5 lakh tonnes of bitumen-a hydrocarbon-based substance used to build roads and highways-is met through imports, that have questionable quality, he said.
Although imported bitumen is quality tested before being used for construction, the things fail to provide the expected result with their performance, Mamun said.
The RHD is the key consumer of locally produced bitumen.
Now, you will have no question about standards as the leading local conglomerate Bashundhara Group will likely to produce high-quality product, he added.
The prospects for the plant, that is a subsidiary of Bashundhara Coal and oil Company, are bright given Bangladesh's development goals.
With the major construction and repair projects for approximately 22,000 kilometres of roads and highways beneath the RHD, local demand for bitumen is on the rise.
Of the 354,000 kilometres of undeveloped roads beneath the MUNICIPALITY Engineering Department (LGED), 105,000 kilometres have been completely upgraded to paved streets.
Besides, the government is expanding all national highways from four to six lanes. This includes district level roads, that the application of bitumen has increased by about 10 to 15 % annually.
With the standard requirements set by engineers given utmost priority, the premium quality Bashundhara bitumen product has penetration values of 60/70 and 80/100 and will come in various grades: scale back, emulsified, oxidised and polymer modified.
"We are in need of modified and customised bitumen to guarantee the longevity of road construction for flexible pavement," Mamun said.
In line with the additional chief engineer, the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation provides only 70,000 tonnes of bitumen as a by-product from Eastern Refinery Ltd.
Khandaker Kingshuk Hossain, chief marketing officer of Bashundhara Group, claimed that they can produce high-quality products to guarantee the construction of sustainable roads.
He said initially they'll produce around 3 lakh tonnes of bitumen per annum nonetheless it will be later risen to 9 tonnes by the finish of 2021 because they plan to export the excess produce.
Hossain said the plant will create 1,000 direct and around 20,000 indirect jobs across the country.
"Our visionary strategy is not only to create Bangladesh self-sufficient in bitumen, but also open our doors to your overseas clients. We expect to export around 4 lakh tonnes of bitumen, reaching the highest production capacity," he said.
Jiangsu Liyang Yunlong Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd, which includes experience with establishing this sort of heavy industry, implemented the plant on a turnkey basis.
In 2019, around Tk 1,721 crore was spent to import bitumen and the worthiness has increased by about 20 % annually, according to Hossain.
"As Bashundhara bitumen is capable of meeting the gap, this amount of cash will be put into our economy," Hossain added.
