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US$ 50m underground pipeline to transport jet fuel to BIA: CPC
Government is to construct a US$ 50 million underground pipeline to transport aviation fuel from the Muthurajawela storage facility to the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), said Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) Chairman T.C. Jayasinghe.
Tenders will be called for within the next two weeks for the project scheduled to start in June and end within an estimated two years from the date of commencement.
Mr Jayasinghe said several companies have already indicated their willingness to participate in the bidding process. “We will go for the best option with the highest standards,” he asserted.
At present Jet A-1 fuel is transported to BIA by rail. Around 1.6 million litres of fuel are consumed per day, but there are times when this rises to 1.8 million litres.
With the anticipated expansion of the airport, a much larger quantity of aviation fuel is expected to be required. This would make rail transport unfeasible. Government plans to complete the new 23-km pipeline prior to the BIA’s expansion.
CPC is the sole supplier of jet fuel in Sri Lanka. Fuel is unloaded from vessels at Dolphin Pier and transported via pipeline to the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Ltd (CPSTL) at Kolonnawa. It is then taken by railway tankers to the BIA.
The BIA fuel storage facility is sufficient to supply fuel at the airport for six to seven days, a report by the CPC says. With an increase in demand, the available storage capacity would be inadequate to cater to demands for aviation fuel at BIA.
“Based on the forecast number of aircraft movements, even fulltime engagement of current modes of transportation of Jet A-1 would not be sufficient to meet the increasing fuel demand at the airport by 2018,” the report explains.
The report also says the CPC faces great inconveniences to maintain uninterrupted fuel supply to the airport, “due to limitations on increasing (the) number of train sets, railway strikes, engine breakdowns or any other interruptions to railway tank wagon movements”. It points out that transporting oil by rail is significantly more expensive than by pipeline.
The report says, pipelines are the safest and most environment friendly means of transporting oil over long distances.
There will be no ignition or emissions while loading and offloading; zero discharge of oil or chemicals to land or surface water; no resettlement of local population; and no permanent disruption to the livelihoods of the local population– these are some of the cited advantages.
The CPC anticipates a threefold increase in jet fuel sales revenue by 2030.