SIFC approves White Oil Pipeline to enhance Pakistan’s energy infrastructure

The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) has approved the Machike-Thallian-Tarru Jabba White Oil Pipeline (WOP), a vital project aimed at boosting Pakistan’s energy infrastructure and building a major fuel transport corridor from the south to the north.

Officials claimed the project is said to modernise the country’s petroleum supply chain by shifting white oil transportation from oil trucks to a specialized pipeline infrastructure. This is expected to cut travel costs, minimise fuel losses and enhance the overall efficiency of deliveries.

The pipeline will extend Pakistan’s current network from Karachi to Khyber, allowing for the transportation of petroleum products such as motor gasoline and high-speed diesel across the country. It will link Machike near Lahore and Tarru Jabba near Peshawar over a 477-kilometre stretch along the highway corridor with linkages to significant places such as Attock Refinery, Chakpirana and Faqirabad.

The project is being built by a consortium of Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and Inter-State Gas Systems (ISGS) through a project business called Frontier Oil business. The project has a 25 per cent portion controlled by Azerbaijan’s state-owned SOCAR.

The project will promote energy security, provide a more stable fuel supply across the regions and increase investor trust in Pakistan’s energy industry, SIFC said. It is also intended to produce jobs during its development and operation.

SIFC has been instrumental in securing large scale investment and progress on the strategically significant project which is regarded as a crucial step towards sustainable economic growth and infrastructural development in Pakistan.