NOC to Relocate Bhairahawa Fuel Depot to Rohini and Omsatiya with Rs. 5.75 Billion DPR
Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has finalized plans to relocate its fuel depot from Bhalwari, Bhairahawa, in Rupandehi district, citing safety concerns and insufficient capacity in the existing site.
The Detailed Project Report (DPR), prepared by Kathmandu University’s Consultancy Services Department at an estimated cost of Rs. 5.793 billion (excluding taxes), was officially handed over to Pradeep Yadav, Chief of the NOC Fuel Storage Capacity Enhancement Project, on Wednesday.
According to the DPR, the new depot—located across Rohini and Omsatiya rural municipalities—will be a modern, fully automated facility. It will feature land development, access roads, boundary walls, petroleum flow systems, and advanced fire-fighting infrastructure.
Storage capacity has been significantly expanded: three vertical diesel tanks (13,500 KL total), three petrol tanks (4,960 KL total), and two kerosene tanks (76 KL each). The facility will hold one month’s petroleum demand for Lumbini Province.
Fire safety will be ensured through two 2,100 KL water tanks, while loading and unloading sheds will each have eight bays. The depot will also house administrative and control buildings, laboratories, billing units, residences for staff and security personnel, tanker driver facilities, security posts, and designated parking zones.
NOC has already acquired 11.5 bigha of land for the project, with an additional 8.5 bigha under transfer and 5.5 bigha in the process of acquisition. Land development works, including leveling, gabion walls, and retaining walls, have been completed, and a site office is currently operational.
The existing Bhairahawa depot, spread across just 5.5 bigha, has long been deemed unsafe due to its location in a densely populated settlement. With limited capacity—519 KL of petrol, 3,040 KL of diesel, and 280 KL of kerosene—the depot is unable to meet current demand. Residents have repeatedly pressured NOC to relocate the facility, warning that even a minor accident could cause catastrophic losses.
