2010 Pic From Germany Wrongly Linked to Kandla-Gorakhpur Gas Pipeline

The photo shows the construction of the OPAL pipeline in Germany, and not the Kandla-Gorakhpur pipeline as claimed.

The photograph shows the construction of the OPAL pipeline in Lubmin, Germany in 2010.

(Source: Twitter/Altered by The Quint)

A photograph of a large pipe being lowered into the ground by a construction crew is being shared, along with two graphics depicting the route and plan for the Kandla-Gorakhpur gas pipeline project.

Social media users are sharing the photo of construction work linking it to the ambitious pipeline project, which will span over 2,700 kilometers upon completion.

However, the photo is actually from near Lubmin, Germany and was taken in 2010. It shows the construction of the Ostsee-Pipeline-Anbindungsleitung (OPAL) pipeline, which connects Germany to the Nord Stream pipeline in Europe.

CLAIM

The photo is being shared to claim that it shows the Kandla-Gorakhpur pipeline, whose construction began in 2019 and is estimated to cost around Rs 10,000 crores.

An archive of this post can be seen here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

Archived versions of posts with similar claims on Facebook and Twitter can be seen here, here, here and here.

WHAT WE FOUND OUT

We carried out a simple reverse image search on Google, and its results led us to an article by The New York Times published in April 2010, which carried the same photo.

The article was published in 2010.

(Source: New York Times/Screenshot)

The photograph’s caption noted that the photo showed the OPAL pipeline’s construction near Lubmin, Germany and credited it to one Sean Gallup of Getty Images.

Next, using keywords such as ‘OPAL pipeline Germany’ on Getty Images’ website, we looked for the original photograph. Here, we found the photograph dated 8 April, 2010.

The photo shows a construction worker shouting commands while laying down the pipe.

(Source: Getty Images/Screenshot)

It was published noting that the OPAL pipeline would carry natural gas arriving from Russia to Germany and other European countries directly, avoiding countries that fall in between, such as Ukraine and Poland.

WHAT IS THE KANDLA-GORAKHPUR GAS PIPELINE PROJECT?

The Kandla-Gorakhpur pipeline is an under-construction liquified petroleum gas (LPG) pipeline project, spanning 2,757 kilometres. The pipeline is said to be the world’s longest one so far, and will stretch from Kandla port in Gujarat to Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur.

Its construction began in 2019 and is estimated to cost around Rs 10,088 crores. The project is a joint venture between Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum Corporations Limited, who have come together under the name IHB Limited.

As per the organisation’s website, 1,076 kilometers of the pipeline will be in Gujarat, 621 kilometers in Madhya Pradesh and 1,108 kilometers of it will be laid in Uttar Pradesh.

Upon completion, the pipeline will have to capacity to transport 8.5 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) of LPG and will be connected to 22 different bottling plants.

Evidently, an old photograph of a pipe being lowered in Germany was falsely linked to the under-construction Kandla-Gorakhpur pipeline in India.

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