By IANS,
Bangalore : Karnataka Governor H.R. Bhardwaj Friday commissioned the Indian Oil Corporation’s 290 km-long petroleum products pipeline from Chennai to Bangalore at Devanagonthi, about 25 km from this tech hub.
The pipeline, built at a cost of Rs.290 crore, has a capacity to ferry 1.45 million tonnes per annum of petrol, diesel, kerosene, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and aviation turbine fuel (AFT) from Chennai to Bangalore.
“The supply of petroleum products through such a pipeline is not only safe, but also environmental friendly unlike the conventional mode of transportation by rail or road,” Indian Oil Chairman B.M. Bansal said on the occasion.
About 96 km of the pipeline will traverse through Tamil Nadu, 111 km in Andhra Pradesh and 83 km in Karnataka to carry the petro products from Chennai Petro Chemical Ltd (CPCL), in which IOC has majority stake (52 percent).
“In the second phase, we will increase the carrying capacity to two million tonnes per annum,” Bansal said.
The pipeline passes through Kundaliya wildlife sanctuary and the royal elephant reserve under the Tekumanda and Palamaner reserve forest in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murali Deora, Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily, Petroleum Secretary S. Sunderashan and top official of the state-run oil marketing firms were present on the occasion.
IOC has already laid a 36-km pipeline from Devanagonthi terminal to the new Bangalore international airport at Devanhalli to supply ATF on round the clock to national and international airlines.