Mangaluru: Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) has received approval from the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board to lay a dedicated aviation turbine fuel (ATF) pipeline to Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru from Devangonthi.According to a release issued by MRPL, the approval covers the laying, building, operating, and expansion of a petroleum products pipeline dedicated to ATF transportation from MRPL’s Devangonthi Marketing Terminal to the existing Common User Fuel Farm Station and the upcoming Satellite Fuel Farm Station located within the airport premises.The authorised pipeline system will have a capacity of 2.5 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA), and is expected to be completed within 36 months.MRPL, a Schedule ‘A’ Mini Ratna central public sector enterprise and subsidiary of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), said the project would strengthen its downstream marketing infrastructure and aviation fuel supply chain in Karnataka.The company said the project would provide a direct and efficient ATF transportation link between its Devangonthi infrastructure and the Bengaluru airport.MRPL stated that the project gains importance amid Bengaluru’s growing aviation sector, with the airport recording steady passenger and cargo traffic growth in recent years.The company noted that its Devangonthi Marketing Terminal has emerged as a key infrastructure asset in the Bengaluru region. MRPL’s terminal at Dodda Dasarahally was commissioned for the dispatch of motor spirit, high-speed diesel and ATF.The terminal receives finished petroleum products through the existing PMHBL pipeline from MRPL’s refinery in Mangaluru, and caters to the growing industrial and retail demand for petroleum products in the region.BHV Prasad, executive director (projects), MRPL, said the proposed ATF pipeline will support Bengaluru airport’s growing fuel demand and strengthen MRPL’s presence in a key growth market.
