Amlekhgunj-Lothar Petroleum Pipeline Project Underway in Chitwan

Chitwan. Under the National Priority Amlekhgunj-Lothar Petroleum Pipeline Project, 'land filling' and outer wall construction are currently in full swing at Lothar in Rapti Municipality-1, Chitwan. Project Chief and Nepal Oil Corporation Director Pradeep Kumar Yadav informed that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) work for the project is also in its final stages along with land management. Under the project, a state-of-the-art green field terminal with modern facilities will be constructed on approximately 23 bigha, 12 kattha of land in Lothar, Rapti Municipality-1. Petroleum products will be pumped from the pump house at Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)'s Motihari depot directly to Lothar through the pipeline. A 10.75-inch pipeline will be laid for approximately 62 kilometers from Amlekhgunj to Lothar. The corporation is currently bringing petroleum products from India's Motihari to Amlekhgunj in Bara via pipeline. The plan is to extend the same pipeline from Amlekhgunj to Lothar. Chief Yadav informed that the mapping of the pipeline has already been completed. The pipeline will be laid parallel to the East-West Highway. The corporation has stated that coordination has already been done with the Department of Roads for this. The design has been finalized to lay the pipeline by bypassing Hetauda market. "When coming from Amlekhgunj, the pipeline will pass through the middle of the river before Ratamate, and after crossing Hetauda market, it will emerge near the Rapti bridge. The pipeline will not go through Hetauda market," he said, "Work is being done to complete the project within the stipulated time." The target is to complete the project construction and bring it into operation within the next three years. The corporation has stated that oil can be supplied to Lothar at a speed of 273 kiloliters per hour through the pipeline. A total of 3200 kiloliters of fuel will be stored regularly in the 62-kilometer-long pipeline at any given time. Deputy General Manager of the Corporation, Rishiram Sharma, said that the work of land leveling, constructing the outer wall, and preliminary preparations for project construction are in full swing at the project construction site. Once the land is ready, the corporation will hand over the construction of storage facilities and other structures to IOC. The contract for land filling and outer wall construction has been awarded to Motidan Construction. Contractor company representative Krishna Ghorasaini informed that the work of collecting and bringing the necessary raw materials for land filling is underway. The company started work in August. Motidan Construction has received the contract for land filling and outer wall construction at the project site for approximately Rs 79 crore. Although the contract period is one year, the contractor company has stated that the work is being expedited to complete it in eight to nine months. The pipeline will be able to transport 20 million tons of fuel annually. A pipeline station of 160 square meters will be constructed at Lothar. Three vertical tanks with a capacity of 11,000 kiloliters each will be constructed for petrol storage at that location. Similarly, three tanks with a capacity of 15,500 kiloliters for diesel storage and two tanks with a capacity of 800 kiloliters for kerosene storage will be constructed. Three tanks with a capacity of 3,600 kiloliters each will be constructed for aviation fuel, the corporation informed. A total of 91,900 kiloliters of petroleum products will be stored at the new depot to be built in Lothar. Additionally, two transmix tanks will be constructed. Aviation Fuel Also Via Pipeline With the construction of tanks for aviation fuel storage in Lothar, aviation fuel can also be brought via pipeline. The corporation is currently transporting aviation fuel via tankers from India's Barauni. The corporation is currently bringing aviation fuel from about 400 kilometers away. The corporation claims that bringing aviation fuel to Lothar via pipeline will save five rupees per liter in transportation costs. It is estimated that approximately two billion rupees in transportation costs will be saved annually once aviation fuel starts being brought via pipeline. Transporting petroleum products via pipeline will minimize environmental impact and eliminate the possibility of theft and adulteration of petroleum products. The estimated cost of constructing the pipeline along with the storage facility is Rs 14 arba, 9 crore, 60 lakh. During the visit of the then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' to India in June 2080, an understanding was reached with his Indian counterpart regarding the Amlekhgunj-Lothar Petroleum Pipeline and the construction of a well-equipped depot with storage facilities in Lothar. The understanding mentioned that government-level petroleum companies of both countries would sign mutual agreements and commence construction work. In accordance with that understanding, an agreement was signed between Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Nepal Oil Corporation on October 17, 2081. The agreement states that the project will be operational within 54 months of the commencement of construction work. Indian Oil Corporation has already prepared the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project. The 69-kilometer-long cross-border petroleum pipeline from India's Motihari to Amlekhgunj in Bara has been operational since 2076 BS. On August 24, 2076 BS, then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi jointly inaugurated the project. Diesel has been imported via pipeline since that day. Similarly, petrol started being brought via pipeline from October 24, 2081, and kerosene from November 19, 2081. The total length of the cross-border pipeline project, the first in South Asia, is 69.2 kilometers. Of this, 33 kilometers are in India and 36.2 kilometers are in Nepal. A 'multi-product pipeline' has been constructed to import petrol, diesel, and kerosene. Petroleum products imported via the pipeline have been meeting about 70 percent of Nepal's demand. Fuel is being supplied from Amlekhgunj to depots in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bhairahawa, Thankot, Pokhara, Birgunj, and Janakpur. Petroleum products are also being sold and distributed from Amlekhgunj for local pumps. It is believed that the construction of this project will facilitate the supply of petroleum products in the western and northern regions of Nepal. The corporation was established in 2027 BS for the supply, storage, and distribution of petroleum products across the country.