The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has announced plans to construct seven new oil storage tanks in Muthurajawela, in a major expansion of the country’s fuel storage and distribution infrastructure.
CPC Chairman Janaka Rajakaruna said four of the seven tanks will be dedicated to aviation fuel storage, reflecting rising demand linked to expanding operations at Bandaranaike International Airport in nearby Katunayake.
The project also includes the construction of a 21-kilometre pipeline to transport fuel from Muthurajawela to Katunayake, which would reduce reliance on road tankers for aviation fuel supply. A further new pipeline is planned to carry oil from the Colombo Port premises to the Kolonnawa storage facility.
The investment is aimed at strengthening the CPC’s storage capacity and improving the efficiency and security of fuel distribution across the Western Province, which handles the bulk of the country’s petroleum throughput.
The announcement forms part of a broader push to modernise Sri Lanka’s downstream petroleum infrastructure, much of which dates back decades. Officials have repeatedly flagged storage constraints and ageing pipelines as vulnerabilities in the national fuel supply chain, particularly during periods of high demand or supply disruption.
