IOC's technical team is coming to Nepal on July 30 to study and repair
What you should know
A technical problem has been observed in the pipeline infrastructure of Nepal Oil Corporation located in Amlekhganj. According to the corporation, there was a technical problem in the pipeline infrastructure built under the second phase without formal inauguration. According to the corporation, some problems have been observed at the place where the loading way/TLF shed has been constructed from the fuel storage tank.
According to the corporation, the pipe vibrates during the loading of fuel in the tanker, and the pipe itself seems to be bent due to the change in alignment. Chandika Prasad Bhatt, executive director of the corporation, said that the pipe of the loading bay has moved forward about 10 cm.
'During the loading of diesel and petrol, there is more pressure in the pipeline. That is why there has been some movement in the loading bay inside the depot. It is estimated that the pipe has moved forward about 10 cm due to the high pressure," said Bhatt. "During the loading, the pipe vibrates when the pump is started. The valve did not seem to be able to release the pressure properly.
He said that he informed the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) about 10 days ago after a problem was found in the pipeline. But it has been reported that the technical team of IOC will come on July 30. The corporation said that the pipeline will be closed for a few days after the arrival of the technical team. But Bhatt says that there will be no shortage in the market.
'Running at high pressure (7/8 bar) is risky. But 4/5 bar has little pressure. Even if it takes time to load, there is no risk," said Bhatt. "Until the technical team arrives, we have managed accordingly. Even if it is closed during maintenance, we will not allow shortages.'
This problem is not the first time. The same problem occurred two months ago. After a problem was noticed during the loading of petrol and diesel, IOC technicians came and repaired it. The pipeline was shut down for 6 days. Now there is a problem again. There is no problem as long as the oil comes from the pipeline and is stored. During the loading from the storage tank to the tanker through the loading bay, there is a problem in the pipe," said Pralayankar Acharya, head of the regional office of the corporation at Amlekhganj, "There is a risk that the pipe will break due to some problem." He said that the problem in the depot has been reported to the central office. The much awaited Nepal-India international petroleum pipeline project was officially inaugurated on August 24, 2076.
Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi jointly opened the Amlekhganj-Motihari petroleum pipeline by pressing the switch. Diesel was imported under the first phase. Under the second phase, the corporation's goal was to import petrol and kerosene through the pipeline. IOC and the Corporation had completed the second phase by joint investment. Under the second phase, the Corporation has invested 1 billion 54 crores and IOC has invested 750 crores.
Corporation has taken to depot automation by building infrastructure including 4 more tanks, loading bay, state-of-the-art laboratory under the second phase. 24 'loading bays' have been constructed for complete automation in loading. There are 36 filling points in 24 loading bays. Out of which 7 bottom loading and 8 tom loading of petrol can be done. 4 bottom and 14 top loading of diesel can be done. The corporation says there is a bottom loading of kerosene.
The IOC took over the construction of the pipeline. The IOC awarded the Indian company Likhita International to build the infrastructure. According to the agreement, the construction work of the project could be completed by March 2024. But it was delayed. The corporation had planned to import petrol and kerosene through the pipeline from last December, but it was not successful. But the IOC opened A
date was not set. The corporation started importing petrol and kerosene from the last week of January after the IOC hesitated despite repeated requests from the corporation. Now there is a problem with TLF SED.
The pipeline should be closed for a maximum of 7 days for repairs. But the balance of fuel in storage can be distributed. Loading can also be done from the old depot," said Acharya, "25,500 kiloliters of diesel and 17,500 kiloliters of petrol can be stored at the Amlekhganj depot. 3,000 to 3,500 kiloliters are sold daily. In this way, there is no shortage when it is closed for 7 days. Fuel is sent from Amlekhganj to Thankot, Pokhara, Bhairahawa, Biratnagar and Janakpur depots.
