After a long hiatus, work to lay the 246-km-long portion of the cross-country underground Kochi – Salem steel gas pipeline has resumed. The line will run along State Highways and other district roads in Coimbatore, Erode and Salem. The pipeline is being laid at a cost of ₹600 crore as a joint venture between Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL).
“The work is being carried out at a brisk pace. The line from Kochi has been completed and commissioned up to Palakkad in October 2023. The entire line is 429 km long,” explained an official source.
The project will connect dispatch terminals at Kochi Refinery and Puthuvypeen import terminal and receipt terminals (RT) at Udayamperoor, Palakkad, Coimbatore, Erode and Salem LPG plants. In 2014, the work had been stalled due to land acquisition issues. However, after discussions with various agencies, the alignment was shifted to reduce involvement of private lands and most of it runs along roads.
The third and fourth phases of the project fall in Tamil Nadu with the third phase being a 63-km-long, 12-inch pipeline from Palakkad RT to Coimbatore RT. The final phase will be 157-km long with an 8-inch pipeline from Coimbatore RT to Salem RT.
Published – October 14, 2025 11:41 pm IST
