First trans-border pipeline in South Asia estimated to save Rs 2 to Rs 5 per liter

BARA, Sept 11: The prime ministers of Nepal and India jointly inaugurated the trans-border petroleum pipeline constructed from Motihari of India to Amlekhgunj of Nepal on Tuesday. 

The pipeline was inaugurated by Prime Minister KP Oli from Kathmandu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from New Delhi through a remote control system.

According to the project officials, the 69-kilometer pipeline, which is the first trans-border petroleum pipeline in South Asia, was built at a total cost of Rs 5.18 billion. 

Officials said 294 kiloliters of petroleum products can be supplied per hour through the pipeline. The supply of fuel from the pipeline is estimated to save Rs 2 to Rs 5 per liter spent in transportation of the products through tankers. 

JP Sinha, executive director of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), handed over diesel in a pot to Surendra Paudel, executive director of Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), after the inauguration by the prime ministers of the two countries.

“The pipeline project was initiated with an aim of completing it by mid-August 2020,” said Pradip Yadav, chief of the NOC Amlekhgunj Depot and the project manager, adding, “The construction work completed a year ago as a result of hard work by IOC and NOC.”

As the construction completed before the deadline, officials of both the countries had run a successful diesel supply test from Motihari to Amlekhgunj depot in July.

NOC Executive Director Paudel said when the construction work was first started four years ago they had not expected it to complete so soon. But the hard work of officials involved in the construction made it possible. 

Indian Prime Minister Modi during his visit to Nepal in 2014 had announced the construction of the pipeline under Indian grant assistance.

 
• petroleum_pipeline
 
• Motihari
 
• India
 
• trans-border_petroleum_pipeline
 
• South_Asia