Work on new CPCL pipeline to commence next month.

Work on a new, bigger 17-km-long crude oil pipeline from the Chennai port to the Manali refinery of Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (CPCL) that caters to the entire fuel needs of the State, is likely to commence next month.

Apart from meeting the petroleum product requirements of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, especially petrol, diesel, LPG and aviation turbine fuel, the refinery despatches products to neighbouring Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telengana.

A crucial infrastructure of the oil industry in Tamil Nadu, the old pipeline serves as the backbone for maintaining the operations at the 10.5 million-tonne refinery.

The new pipeline will be alternative to the 45-year-old pipeline that runs along some of the congested localities of north Chennai, some of which have often been in news for oil leaks as other pipelines transporting petroleum products also run through the areas.

The new pipeline coming up at a cost of Rs.254 crore will be executed by China Petroleum.

According to sources, the work is likely to begin by August-end and is expected to be completed in a year. The pipeline would be traversing a new route — mostly along Ennore Expressway — thus avoiding the thickly populated areas of north Chennai to a large extent.

The project was proposed about six years ago and it took time to get various clearances and for going through the modalities, including multiple public hearings.

The proposed pipeline would be bigger, with a 42-inch diameter, and with added safety features, particularly the globally followed SCADA technology.

SCADA will help monitor the line for any drop in pressure or other disturbances. “As it has a bigger diameter there will be lesser resistance and thus minimum chances of leaks. It also has the technology to clean the line, which is necessary since crude leaves residue behind,” explained the source.

Along the roads, it would run at a depth of 1.5 m to 2 m and at other places, 15 m below the ground level. “We will be crossing the Buckingham Canal underground as we do not want our line to be a hindrance to any activity including fishing and movement of boats. We plan to drill using horizontal directional drilling, the same technology used in Delhi Metro Rail,” explained the source.

THE HINDU