By Laxman Kafle
Kathmandu, Jan. 23: Following the successful construction of the Amlekhgunj-Motihari Petroleum Pipeline Project one-and-a-half years ago, the government has stepped up works to expand the project in other places as well.
Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has already begun a study on the construction of two pipeline projects -- Amlekhgunj, Bara, to Lothar, Chitwan and Siliguri, West Bengal, India to Charaali, Jhapa, Nepal, according to NOC spokesperson Binitmani Upadhyay.
He said that a preliminary study had started on building a pipeline from the Siliguri depot to Charaali. Once this project is completed, it will be the second inter-country pipeline project in the country.
According to him, the pipeline will be 50-kilometre long, of which 15 kilometres falls under Nepal’s territory and 35 kilometres under India’s, and India has agreed to build it.
The preparation of technical report of both projects by a joint study group of NOC and IOC is underway. The group has conducted the study for the cost of pipe laying and other aspects of the project.
"A study to build 69-kilometre long petroleum pipeline from Amalekhgunj to Lothar has reached the final stage," Upadhyay told The Rising Nepal.
He added that technical report of the project had almost completed and that the group had planned to submit the report to the concerned authorities at the earliest.
Earlier, a team of NOC, under the technical support of the IOC, had jointly conducted the route survey and found to be both feasible and effective in terms of cost and technical aspects.
NOC Managing Director Surendra Kumar Paudel said that the NOC had taken initiative to expand the pipeline from Amlekhgunj to Lothar, wherein some 103,000 kiloliters (KL) of petroleum products will be stored. In addition to that, modern laboratory, smart
terminal and full automated depot to hold 103, 000 KL fuel will be constructed there.