PUMPING 1,800cum/hr of diesel and gasoline 75m uphill through two pipelines each 650m long, from a marine off-loading point into nine storage tanks with a combined capacity exceeding 60,000cum is quite a standard task around the world. What makes this installation at Hvalfjordur in Iceland different is that instead of using a steel pipeline, the fuel will be pumped through 12-in diameter UPP Extra high-density polyethylene pipe supplied by PetroTechnik of Ipswich, UK (see photo). Installation of the 1,500m of HDPE pipe at the coastal site just north of the capital Reykjavik was undertaken by fuel distribution and service company Oliudreifing ehf. When the design work began, steel would have been the natural choice for the underground pipe; however, in this case two factors modified that choice. Steel pipe was in short supply around the world, meaning high prices and long lead times, and Oliudreifing had experience of working with PetroTechnik Ltd since its first collaboration in 1999. As Arni Ingimundarson, Technical Manager at Oliudreifing put it: "We first used UPP Extra in 1999 when we refurbished the 6-in fuel lines at our Patreksfjordur depot. Over the past eight years we have enjoyed a leak-free and maintenance-free existence. With a life expectancy in excess of 50 years, we expect to reap the benefits of non-corroding polyethylene pipe for many more years to come."