Emirates National Oil Company (Enoc) has awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for building a fuel pipeline from its subsidiary Horizon Terminals in Dubai’s Jebel Ali to Al-Maktoum International Airport (DWC) in Dubai South.

The 16.2 kilometre-long pipeline supplying jet fuel to DWC from Horizon Terminals’ storage facility in Dubai’s Jebel Ali industrial area, will be built by Dubai-based Albanna Engineering.

The construction of the pipeline is expected to be completed in 24 months and will be operational in Q1 2020, in time for Expo 2020 in Dubai.

Upon completion, the pipeline will carry 2,000 cubic metres of jet fuel per hour to DWC, which is going to be the host airport for Expo 2020. DWC is also expected to become the world’s largest airport with an annual capacity exceeding 220 million passengers and 16 million tonnes of cargo.

The pipeline will be equipped with safety features including a leak detection system, complete automation control and quality control, Enoc has said.

Enoc currently supplies jet fuel to Dubai International Airport (DXB) through a 58 kilometre-long pipeline that has a storage capacity of 141,500 cubic metres.