The Hindu : Front Page : HPCL setting up oil terminal in Ennore

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Friday, Sep 04, 2009
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HPCL setting up oil terminal in Ennore

N. Ravi Kumar

As part of a decision to relocate its facility from Tondiarpet

— Photo: V.Ganesan

The Tondiarpet terminal of the HPCL.

CHENNAI: Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) is setting up an oil terminal in Ennore at a cost of Rs.224 crore as part of a decision to relocate its facility from Tondiarpet, north Chennai.

Work has begun on the project, for which the company had got 100 acres from the Salt Department. One of the main reasons behind the relocation is the emphasis on improved safety for oil installations.

The nearly 75-year-old terminal in Tondiarpet is located on 16 acres in a congested area with the approach roads being narrow and crowded. Hundreds of tanker-trucks transport several kilo litres of petroleum products daily from the terminal to various locations in Chennai and other districts, according to sources in the company sources. A fire at the lube plant on February 1 this year is cited as the immediate provocation for the relocation.

The Ennore terminal will not only be bigger, but also have state-of-the-art equipment, including a fully automated bay gantry to load 24 tanker trucks simultaneously. The tankage capacity will be 40,000 kilo litre of petrol, 60,000 KL of diesel and 20,000 KL each of kerosene and ATF. The cumulative tankage capacity of the Tondiarpet terminal is around 32,000 KL and 14 trucks could be loaded at a time, sources said.

HPCL plans to lay a pipeline from the Ennore port and Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd to the new terminal. There will also be siding for loading and unloading products. A pipeline from the port would enable the company to bring products from other refineries, including its own facility in Visakhapatnam. At present, the products are from Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd, a group company of Indian Oil Corporation.

The terminal would be ready for commissioning in a little over a year. Sources added that a national oil company was relocating its terminal from north Chennai.

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