IOCL's scaled up pipeline capacity matches its 15-mn-tonne Paradip refinery

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) has ramped up its pipeline capacity to match the rated capacity of its 15 million tonne per annum (mtpa) crude oil refinery at Paradip.

The scaling up of pipeline capacity will help the oil major in evacuation of products from the refinery.

The IOCL board had, in October, accorded final approval to the 344-km pipeline project from Paradip to Haldia via Somnathpur for evacuating products from the refinery.

The new pipeline will see an investment of Rs 13.32 billion for transfer of products like HSD (high speed diesel), Kerosene (SKO) and MS (motor spirit). The approved pipeline is slated to be commissioned within the next 36 months and has a capacity of 4.6 mtpa.

IOCL (Pipeline Division) under the aegis of South Eastern Region Pipelines (SERPL), Bhubaneswar has already started work for laying of 1,212-km dedicated product pipeline along with optical fibre cable for evacuation of white oil products -- MS, high speed diesel (HSD), SKO (kerosene) and aviation turbine fuel (ATF) from Paradip refinery to depots in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The proposed pipeline is off 4.5 mtpa capacity. It will provide connectivity to a new grass root depot at Berhampur in Odisha, and also to IOCL’s existing depots at Vizag, Rajahmundry and Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh and Hyderabad in Telangana, along with associated facilities at Paradip refinery and at Rajahmundry and Vijayawada depots.

IOCL has already commissioned its Paradip-Raipur-Ranchi pipeline (PPRPL) for evacuation of products from its Paradip refinery. The 1070-km pipeline ensures uninterrupted supply of products of Paradip refinery to major parts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and has five mtpa capacity.

“The augmentation of new pipeline throughput will match with the refinery throughput”, said P C Choubey, executive director, SERPL.

IOC's 15-mtpa capacity refinery at Paradip is spread over an area of 3,345 acres, built with an estimated cost of Rs 345.55 billion. The refinery can process 100 per cent high-sulphur and heavy crude oil to produce various petroleum products, including petrol and diesel of BS-IV quality, kerosene, aviation turbine fuel, propylene, sulphur, and petroleum coke. It is also designed to produce Euro-V premium quality motor spirit and other green auto fuel variants for export.