ISLAMABAD: A signing ceremony of MoU between the stakeholders on Consortium Formation for Machike-Thallian-Tarujabba White Oil Pipeline Project has been held on Wednesday at the SIFC Secretariat.

The ceremony was witnessed by Minister for Power and Petroleum Muhammad Ali, Secretary (Petroleum Division) Momin Agha and Secretary SIFC Jameel Qureshi. The heads of consortium entities i.e. MD Pakistan State Oil (PSO) Syed Muhammad Taha, DG Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) Major General Abdul Sami, MD Inter-State Gas Systems (Pvt) Ltd (ISGS) Nadeem Bajwa signed the historical memorandum of understanding.

The pipeline project is a testament to the commitment of the Petroleum Division and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).

The Machike-Thallian-Taru Jabba White Oil Pipeline (MTT-WOP) aims to complement the oil pipeline backbone from Karachi to Peshawar apart from achieving the energy efficient movement of petroleum products as well as preventing adulteration and providing increased safety.

It will connect Punjab from Machike, near Lahore, to Tarujabba, near Peshawar.

The pipeline consists of two segments: Machike-Thallian and Thallian - Tarujabba along Motorway with connectivity options with Attock refinery, Chakpirana and Faqirabad. It completes the infrastructure supply chain from Karachi to Peshawar.

This may be called a flagship project spearheaded by FWO and jointly supported by PSO and ISGS.

The 477-km long pipeline aims at ensuring a smooth supply chain of petroleum products from Karachi to Peshawar with initial carrying capacity of 7 MTPA extendable to 10 MTPA.

The pipeline shall contribute significantly towards the reduction of traffic congestion, environmental pollution and transportation costs.

The article, originally published February 15, 2024, was updated on February 16, 2024 due to the corrections made by the Petroleum Division in its statement

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024