Petronet pipeline likely to be operational by Dec

G.K. Nair

KOCHI, Nov. 5

THE Rs 535-crore pipeline project to carry petroleum products from Kochi to Karur in Tamil Nadu is in the final stages and it is expected to be commissioned in December 2001.

The 292-km pipeline covering three districts in Tamil Nadu and three in Kerala was originally scheduled for commissioning in December 2000, Mr B.R. Pillai, Vice-President, Petronet-CCK Ltd told Business Line. The one-year time over-run would inflict a tangible revenue loss to the company, he said. The project is being implemented by the Mumbai- based company, Dodsal, under a Lumpsum Turnkey contract, he said.

He said that the 143-km stretch in Tamil Nadu was completed in Oct 2000. But, the work on the 149-km stretch in Kerala could commence only in Oct 2000 because of the rains, litigations, disputes, and inordinate delays in getting the clearances from various governmental departments and establishments such as irrigation, forests and National Highways.

Now only a stretch of 7 km had been left for laying the pipe and that would be done in the coming days, he said. After that hydrotesting would be conducted on the pending 168-km section of the pipeline. Restoration work had already commenced in all the districts and it was expected to be completed on time. Besides, 90 per cent of the land compensation had been paid and rest was being paid now.

For the first time in Kerala a pipeline had been laid through under 3 major riverbeds using the horizontal directional drilling without disturbing the course of the river, he said. The pipeline passed through 10-17 meters below the riverbed. A Malaysian company, Mersing, had done this work in the three rivers at a cost of Rs 7 crore, he said.

He said the route of the pipeline was changed later so as to keep it away from the NH 47 and this had reduced the distance by about 20 Km and thus making a saving of around Rs 20 to 30 crore.

The size of the pipeline, he said, was 450mm from Cochin to Coimbatore and from there to Karur of 350mm. To protect the pipeline externally there was a three layer polyethylene coating, while for internal protection corrosion inhibitor would be injected during pumping operation, he said. Besides, a complete end-to-end integrated communication network solution would be provided by an optical fibre-based, Synchronous digital hierarchy(SDH) backbone. Leakage detection would be done by a centralised SCADA system here with provisions for remote operation of sectionalising valves. Methodology of transient modeling compensated volume balance was also used for leak detection, he said.

He said the throughput of the pipeline would be 3.3 million tonne per annum (mtpa) in the first phase which would be raised to 4 mtpa in the second phase. It would handle MS, HSD and SKO and the pumping stream would be 8,000 hours per annum. He said that 521 Kilolitres could be pumped per hour and thus 12,500 KL per day. When it becomes operational the transportation cost can be brought down by one-third, apart from reducing pollution'', he said. Also this would arrest spillage, leakage, sabotage and disruption by natural and man-made calamities while transporting the fuel and thus could ensure smooth supply.