Petro products pipeline launched

Governor H R Bhardwaj on Friday inaugurated the 290 km-long petroleum products pipeline from Chennai to Bangalore set up by state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) at Devanagonthi, about 25 km from here.

The pipeline, built at a cost of Rs 290 crore, has a capacity to transport 1.45 million tonnes per annum of petrol, diesel, kerosene, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and aviation turbine fuel (ATF) from Chennai to Bangalore. “The supply of petroleum products through such a pipeline is not only safe, but also environment-friendly unlike the conventional mode of transportation by rail or road,” IOC chairman B M Bansal said on the occasion.

About 96 km of the pipeline will traverse through Tamil Nadu, 111 km from Andhra Pradesh and 83 km in Karnataka to carry the petro products from the Chennai Petro Chemical Ltd (CPCL), in which IOC has a majority stake (52 per cent). “In the second phase, we will increase the carrying capacity to 2 million tonnes per annum,” Bansal said.

The pipeline passes through Kundaliya Wildlife Sanctuary and the royal elephant reserve under the Tekumanda and Palamaner reserve forests in Chittoor district.

IOC has laid a 36-km pipeline from Devanagonthi terminal to the new Bangalore international airport at Devanahalli to supply the ATF round the clock to national and international airlines.