Jet A-1 fuel pipeline to Airport from Muthurajawela soon: Minister

The procurement process had been started to build the Jet A-1 fuel transferring pipeline from Muthurajawela to Airport, Highways & Road Development and Petroleum Resources Development Minister Kabir Hashim said.

After laying the pipeline, the cost of fuel supply for jets would come down. Therefore, the Ministry had decided to do a massive change in the fuel transfer pipeline.

"The 12-inch fuel transfer pipeline from the Colombo Port to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) Kolonnawa storage terminal was more than seventy years old. It took at least a week to unload the oil shipments. Therefore, the government incurred a loss of millions of rupees. After replacing the new pipeline, the government will save Rs.600 million per year," he said.

The procurement process had been finalised for the installation of the Cross-Country Pipeline between Kolonnawa and the Colombo Port, the Minister said.

The project will be implemented soon. With the use of the Cross-Country Pipeline, the country would save about Rs. 4,000 million per year, he said.

"All these projects should have been implemented ten years ago by the previous government. Without involving in beneficial activities to the country, the previous government had built conference halls, airports and highways in rural areas. Money was not invested in the correct places," the Minister added. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)