Nepal Oil Corporation Urges Businesses Not to Hoard LPG Cylinders
14th August 2026, Kathmandu
Nepal Oil Corporation, the state-owned petroleum monopoly of Nepal, has formally issued an official advisory urging commercial establishments across the country to stop accumulating excessive inventories of liquefied petroleum gas cylinders.
NOC Urges Against Hoarding LPG Cylinders
The public directive follows an influx of widespread grievances from general household consumers regarding the artificial scarcity and localized distribution shortages of cooking gas across retail market outlets.
In an official public notice released on Thursday, the corporation specifically appealed to commercial operators, including hotels, restaurants, party venues, and institutional kitchens, to refrain from holding gas cylinder inventories well beyond their immediate operational requirements.
Increased Imports and Current Distribution Status
According to official data and technical clarifications released by Nepal Oil Corporation, the national market is being actively supplied with standard 14.2 kg filled cooking gas cylinders. The state enterprise emphasized that the regular distribution and market dispatch of these 14.2 kg household cylinders has been continuing without interruption since Ashad 31.
Furthermore, national LPG import volumes and wholesale distribution metrics are currently running approximately 20 percent higher than historical baseline levels for the corresponding period. Despite this measurable surge in total market supply, the corporation acknowledged receiving persistent complaints from members of the public who continue to face difficulties acquiring cooking gas cylinders through standard neighborhood retail channels.
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Rapid Response Desk Monitoring and Inspection Findings
To investigate the root causes of the supply distortion and address consumer complaints, Nepal Oil Corporation mobilized its designated Rapid Response Desk to execute targeted field inspections and market monitoring operations.
The findings from these investigative sweeps confirmed that specific commercial users, most notably large-scale hotels, dining establishments, and party palaces, were systematically hoarding and maintaining reserve stocks of gas cylinders far exceeding their standard consumption needs. This concentrated commercial stockpiling created an artificial supply bottleneck, temporarily restricting the flow of cylinders intended for general household consumption.
Directives for Commercial Businesses and Excess Stock Redistribution
To restore supply equilibrium and ensure equitable access to essential energy resources, Nepal Oil Corporation has issued a clear mandate to all commercial operators. Businesses are instructed to cease unnecessary cylinder storage immediately and align their procurement strictly with actual daily usage.
Commercial enterprises that have already accumulated excess cylinder inventories have been instructed to coordinate with their primary LPG distribution depots immediately. These surplus units must be released back into the supply chain to facilitate immediate redistribution to retail consumers, thereby alleviating domestic household shortages.
Institutional Goal for Equitable Gas Distribution
The market intervention by Nepal Oil Corporation aims to improve product availability, eliminate artificial bottlenecks, and establish fair distribution practices across the retail market. By enforcing strict inventory guidelines on commercial users and discouraging speculative hoarding, the corporation seeks to stabilize the domestic energy sector and ensure that household consumers throughout the country can access cooking gas without unnecessary delays.
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