Numaligarh Refinery Limited has achieved a major engineering milestone by completing a 4,058-metre horizontal directional drilling crossing beneath the Brahmaputra in Jorhat district, one of the longest such crossings globally.
Under the project, laying a 1,635-km crude oil pipeline connecting Paradip in Odisha to Numaligarh is in progress to supply crude to NRL after the refinery’s capacity was enhanced from 3 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) to 9 MMTPA.
Key Aspects of the Project:
- NRL successfully completed a 4,058-metre Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) pipeline crossing under the Brahmaputra River in Jorhat district, Assam. This is described as one of the world’s longest (some sources claim the world’s longest for a 26-inch crude oil pipeline).
- The project utilized the advanced HDD method with an intersection approach, involving two 500-ton rigs working concurrently.
- This crucial infrastructure is part of the Pipeline Project (PNCPL) to transport imported crude from Odisha’s Paradip Port to Assam’s Numaligarh.
- The project was executed under Engineers India Limited (EIL) as the EPCM consultant, with technical expertise aimed at strengthening India’s energy security.
