India and Nepal jointly inaugurated South Asia’s first cross-border petroleum products pipeline from Motihari (in Bihar) in India to Amlekhgunj in Nepal.

• The Motihari-Amlekhgunj petroleum products pipeline is a 69-kilometre pipeline with a capacity of 2 million metric ton (MMT) per annum.
• It will provide cleaner petroleum products at an affordable cost to people of Nepal.
• It is envisaged to put in place a mechanism for assured, continuous, cost effective, quality and eco-friendly supply of petroleum products to Nepal.
• In the first phase, the pipeline will be used to supply diesel from India.
• India’s largest refiner the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) built the pipeline, with an investment of more than Rs.324 crore, in collaboration with Nepal Oil Corporation Ltd (NOCL).

The India-Nepal are also working to build additional storage facility at Amlekhgunj Depot (in Nepal) which will supplemet the storage of petroleum products in Nepal towards which NOCL has committed estimated cost of Rs.75 crore.