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Petronet India eyes pipeline projects in Middle East, Bangladesh
Monday, 16 December 2002, 20:30 IST
NEW DELHI: Petronet India Ltd. (PIL), a consortium of oil companies and financial institutions, is eyeing pipeline projects overseas, particularly in the Middle East and Bangladesh.
It also expects to finally take up an interstate central India project within two months.
"We are studying opportunities in Bangladesh and the Middle East to undertake pipeline projects," K.K. Sinha, managing director of PIL, told IANS.
Speaking on the sidelines of a two-day conference organised here by the Indian School of Petroleum, he declined to name any specific projects, stating the company was yet to put in any overseas bids.
PIL is a financial holding company promoted by state-owned Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IndianOil), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL).
It has been responsible for setting up several petroleum product pipelines in the country.
Sinha sees great potential for growth in the pipeline sector, with pipelines considered the safest mode of transport besides being environment friendly and cost-effective.
PIL also expects to start the long-awaited central India pipeline project.
"Discussions are on with promoter companies and a decision is expected in a month or two," said Sinha.
The central India pipeline will bring together PIL, IndianOil and Reliance Industries with 26 percent stake each and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Essar holding the remaining 22 percent stake equally.
Slated to have an initial total capacity of four million tonnes initially, the pipeline will be upgraded in the second phase to carry eight million tonnes by 2011-12.
In the second phase, the share of petroleum products transported through pipeline is expected to increase substantially from the current 32 percent.
"In the first phase we hope to construct a 1,400 km-pipeline at a cost of 
22 billion starting from Reliance Industries' Jamnagar Refinery in Gujarat, connecting IndianOil's Koyali Refinery.
"It will be linked to delivery points at Rajkot, Vadodara and Ratlam where it will be bifurcated to Nagpur in Maharashtra and Kota in Rajasthan. In the second phase, the pipeline will be extended by 300 km from Kota to Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh," said Sinha.
The PIL chief maintained that project delay had added only marginally to the project cost. The central India project is to be completed within 15 months of the start of construction.
The state-owned pipeline infrastructure company has so far completed two major projects Vadinar-Kandla in Gujarat, Kochi-Karur beyond Kottayam in Kerala,
It is implementing two other projects -- the Mangalore-Bangalore pipeline expected to be commissioned by the end of December and the Chennai-Madurai pipeline.
Source: IANS
22 billion starting from Reliance Industries' Jamnagar Refinery in Gujarat, connecting IndianOil's Koyali Refinery.
"It will be linked to delivery points at Rajkot, Vadodara and Ratlam where it will be bifurcated to Nagpur in Maharashtra and Kota in Rajasthan. In the second phase, the pipeline will be extended by 300 km from Kota to Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh," said Sinha.
The PIL chief maintained that project delay had added only marginally to the project cost. The central India project is to be completed within 15 months of the start of construction.
The state-owned pipeline infrastructure company has so far completed two major projects Vadinar-Kandla in Gujarat, Kochi-Karur beyond Kottayam in Kerala,
It is implementing two other projects -- the Mangalore-Bangalore pipeline expected to be commissioned by the end of December and the Chennai-Madurai pipeline.
Source: IANS