Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) is preparing to build a modern fuel depot with advanced facilities on the banks of the Rohini River in Rupandehi at an estimated cost of around Rs 6 billion.
According to the NOC, the new depot is being built as the existing depot at Bhairahawa is located in a congested settlement and can no longer meet the growing demand for petroleum products.
The new depot will spread over 25.5 bighas of land.
The total construction cost, excluding taxes, is estimated at Rs 5.79 billion.
Kathmandu University’s Consultancy Services handed over the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the new depot to NOC amid a ceremony in Kathmandu on Wednesday.
Speaking on the occasion, Pradeep Kumar Yadav, chief of NOC’s Storage Capacity Enhancement Project, said the depot will have a total storage capacity of 18,688 kiloliters of fuel. “This will include tanks for 13,500 kiloliters of diesel, 4,960 kiloliters of petrol and 228 kiloliters of kerosene,” he added.
The depot will be able to meet the fuel demand of Lumbini Province for a month.
For fire safety, two water tanks with a combined storage capacity of 4,200 kiloliters (2,100 kiloliters each) will be constructed at the depot. The depot will also include eight loading bays and eight unloading bays.
The depot will house storage facilities, pipeline systems for fuel flow and firefighting, an administrative building, a control center, a laboratory, a billing and store building, residential quarters for office chiefs and staff, among other structures, according to the NOC.
