Mombasa-Nairobi 450km refined products pipeline is complete. Marking the completion was the successful delivery of refined fuel units at the Nairobi depot.
The 20 inch pipe will run in tandem with the older 14 inch pipe, which had undergone blockage in the past causing delays and losses.
KPC says the newline will ensure timely, reliable and efficient transportation of petroleum units in the region meeting demand over the next 30 years.
Construction of 4 storage tanks is also complete, providing sufficient capacity for receipt of higher volumes of products expected once Line 5 is commissioned. Line 5 will be a turning point in the transportation of oil in the country and the region as a whole: from ensuring sustained, reliable and efficient transportation of petroleum products in the region to safety in transportation of petroleum according to John Munyes CS for Petroleum & Mining.
KPC Managing Director, Joe Sang says that the new pipeline will sufficiently serve the country and the region’s petroleum demand which is projected rise to 11.4 billion litres in 2020 once it is commissioned. He added that it will improve reliability of fuel supply to the export market of Uganda, Rwanda and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
“The line will eliminate an estimated 700 trucks per day safeguarding against Road degradation and environmental pollution arising out of continued trucking of products. In effect this will also boost road safety and protect the public from the risks associated with transporting fuel by road.” Says Sang.
KPC had in May pushed for a speedy settlement of $44 million (Ksh4.4 billion) with Lebanese Contractor Zakhem International Construction over what was termed as 4 years of operational delays that hit construction of the new pipeline.
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