KATHMANDU: The Motihari–Amlekhgunj petroleum pipeline is in its final stage of preparation for transfer to Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC).
With all expansion work completed, petroleum products are now being imported regularly through the pipeline from Motihari to Amlekhgunj.
“Petroleum is being imported through the pipeline on a regular basis,” said Pralayankar Acharya, head of NOC’s Madhesh Regional Office in Amlekhgunj. “Testing of the petroleum transported via the pipeline is also ongoing, with a technical team from Indian Oil Corporation deployed on-site.”
Acharya added that any issues in the pipeline are being immediately addressed, and since testing is nearing completion, the transfer of the pipeline to NOC is expected soon. Discussions are underway between both countries regarding whether the inauguration of the pipeline will be conducted jointly by the respective prime ministers or handled differently.
Plans are also moving forward to extend the pipeline from Amlekhgunj in Bara to Lothar in Chitwan. The 69-kilometer pipeline project from Amlekhgunj to Lothar is in its final stage of DPR (Detailed Project Report) preparation by a high-level technical team, and construction is expected to accelerate in the coming days.
“A regional office has already been established in Chitwan to facilitate the pipeline work, and soil preparation will begin shortly,” Acharya said, adding that the project is expected to be completed within three years.
Following the successful completion of the Motihari–Amlekhgunj section and the start of petroleum imports through it, work on the Amlekhgunj–Lothar pipeline is set to begin. A storage facility with a capacity of 100,000 liters, including greenfield construction, will be built on 23 bigha 12 katha of land in Lothar, Chitwan.
The expansion of the Amlekhgunj–Lothar pipeline will be carried out by Indian Oil Corporation under the bilateral “G2G” agreement between Nepal and India. Meanwhile, a technical team from India will carry out repairs at the NOC petroleum loading bay in Amlekhgunj, following minor operational issues.
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