India inaugurates Mundra-Delhi pipeline

JAIPUR, India, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Ruling coalition chair Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the 655-mile Mundra-Delhi oil pipeline Tuesday, the longest cross-country pipeline in India.

Workers completed the $358.6 million project in just three years. The state-controlled Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd. constructed the Mundra-Delhi pipeline to bring European-grade fuel products from the massive Mundra Port near the Arabian Sea to the Indian capital, the Press Trust of India reported.

The state-controlled HPCL owns more than 8,000 petrol stations but produces only around half of its consumption. It relies on the refineries owned by the Indian Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd for more than half of its 80 million barrels of fuel consumption.

At its peak capacity, Mundra-Delhi would transport more than 40 million barrels of fuel products each year.

Indian Petroleum Minister Murli Deora and other top officials attended the inauguration in the Indian state of Rajasthan.