Kathmandu, August 3

In a bid to replace old and technically infeasible liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders that are prone to accidents, Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) is preparing  to conduct safety checks on all the LPG cylinders circulated in the country.

NOC is gearing up to monitor the technical status of almost eight million cylinders in the market through a third party after it received numerous complaints from the public that a number of LPG cylinders in the market are outdated and pose a security threat.

“We will soon publish a tender notice to hire a third party to conduct the test on LPG cylinders in the market,” an NOC source said seeking anonymity.

As per the NOC source, domestic LPG bottlers are not conducting hydrostatic test of their LPG cylinders, which needs to be carried out every five years.

Hydrostatic test refers to a way in which pressure vessels such as pipelines, plumbing, fuel tanks and gas cylinders are tested for strength and leaks. The test measures a cylinder’s capacity to withstand pressure.

Of the almost eight million LPG cylinders circulating in the market, NOC statistics show that LPG bottlers and dealers have stock of 2.5 million units of cylinders each while three million units of LPG cylinders are with consumers.

However, Shiva Ghimire, president of Nepal LP Gas Industry Association, claimed that gas companies have been destroying unfit and old LPG cylinders themselves and are also conducting hydrostatic test of the cylinders on a regular basis.