India and Nepal may soon have an alternative means of cross border fuel supply instead of transporting it by road.
This will be possible as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Prime Minister of Nepal, K P Sharma Oli have launched the ground-breaking ceremony of India-Nepal petroleum products pipeline from Motihari to Amlekhgunj through live-streaming at Hyderabad House in New Delhi today.
An IOCL statement said, the Motihari-Amlekhgunj Pipeline project was approved by IndianOil at a total cost of Rs. 324 crore in September 2015. The 69-km-long pipeline project involves laying of a 10.75-inch diameter cross-country pipeline from Motihari in Bihar to Amlekhganj in Nepal, with pumping facilities at Motihari. The design throughput capacity of the pipeline is 2.0 million tonnes per annum. Out of the total length, 32.7 km of pipeline will be laid in the Indian territory and 36.2 km will be laid in Nepal territory.
The schedule of completion of the project is 30 months from the date of receipt of statutory clearances and the work is likely to be completed by March 2019.
Currently Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IndianOil) supplies the complete requirements of major petroleum products of Nepal from its Barauni Refinery and Raxaul depot in Bihar to Amlekhganj depot of Nepal Oil Corporation Limited (NOC), the national oil company of Nepal.
An IOCL statement said the supply of major petroleum products like motor spirit, superior kerosene oil, high speed diesel, LPG and aviation turbine fuel by tank-trucks and tankers through road movement is affected by frequent road blockade at the Indo-Nepal border.