The storage facilities at the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) depots in Kisumu and Eldoret are set for major expansion on the back of increased product demand by local and export customers.
The expansion will allow KPC to store additional petrol, technically called motor spirit premium (MSP), and kerosene-type fuel, also called jet A-1.
The State-owned firm says that it also wants to increase the inter-tank product transfer flow rate from the existing Jet A-1 receiving tanks at Eldoret and Kisumu to the issuing tanks within the same depots.
“The EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) contractor shall be responsible for the detailed design and engineering, procurement, and construction of the works including the supply of labour, plant and materials necessary to complete the construction of additional tanks and accessories,” KPC said in a tender call for the expansion works.
The contractor will also be required to modify the pipework at the two stations to allow for simultaneous product receipt of diesel. This will be in addition to constructing new dedicated facilities for loading jetty at Kisumu and modification of several other station pipework to enhance receipt of various oil products.
Lot I of the work will be at Kisumu depot and will include the construction of a 10,000 cubic metres tank for MSP and another similar capacity for jet A-1.
There will also be the construction of a mixed product 400 cubic metres tank, upgrading of the Jet A-1 inter-tank transfer facilities, and construction of dedicated Jetty loading facilities.
The second lot of work will be at Eldoret depot and will include the construction of a 10,000 cubic metres MSP tank, 8,000 cubic metres Jet A-1 tank, and two mixed product tanks, each with a capacity of 400 cubic metres.
KPC adds that it wants to increase the rate of loading of petroleum products to the Jetty from the current rate to an increased rate of 650 cubic metres per hour by installing a dedicated loading system that will be independent of the existing one.
In addition, the firm says there is an existing Jet A-1 inter-tank transfer system with a capacity of 150 cubic metres per hour but it wants this doubled.
“This flow rate has become insufficient and there is need to increase the rate to 300 cubic metres per hour. There is a need to upgrade the system at Kisumu and Eldoret to achieve the enhanced flow rate,” said KPC.
In the latest annual report, KPC notes that an upgrade of the flow rate in the Nairobi to Eldoret line is also ongoing to cater for the surging demand in that area for both local and export customers.
From its initial pipeline linking Mombasa to Nairobi, KPC has grown into a vast network covering 1,342 kilometres. This intricate system connects Mombasa to Nairobi and extends to Nakuru, Eldoret, and Kisumu.
KPC recently completed the second phase of an upgrade of its Nairobi-Eldoret pipeline, boosting the supply of petroleum products to consumers in western Kenya as well as markets in the Great Lakes region.
The upgrade increased the product flow rate on the 14-inch pipeline, popularly known as Line IV, by 56 percent to 515 cubic meters(M3) per hour up from the previous 330.
Kenya and Uganda recently started talks over the extension of the petroleum products pipeline from Eldoret to Kampala in what could finally deliver a project that was mooted 29 years ago.
→ palushula@ke.nationmedia.com
Unlock a world of exclusive content today!Unlock a world of exclusive content today!
