First time determining the prices of cylinder gas in country

The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) has announced the consumer price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at Tk 975 per 12 kg. For the first time in the country, BERC announced the price of this fuel product.

BERC chairman Abdul Jalil made the announcement at a commission virtual press briefing on Monday (April 12) at 11:30 am. At the same time, the Commission’s order regarding pricing or rescheduling of LPG at the consumer level is uploaded on the site www.berc.org.bd.

Until now, the price of LPG has been at the discretion of the companies. Though there has been talk for a long time about fixing the price, it was a matter of tension whether it would be done by the Energy Department, BERC or BPC. In the wake of the latest cab writ petition, the High Court summoned BERC to fix the price of LPG. According to him, BERC held a public hearing on January 14 as part of the process of finalizing the rates.

At the public hearing, Pramita submitted a proposal to increase the price of LPG to Rs 853 per 12 kg cylinder, state-owned company BLPG to Rs 700 and LPG Operators Association to Rs 1259.

The country is currently using 1 million metric tons of LPG per year as cooking and transportation fuel. Of this, 15,500 tons is being marketed by government companies. The remaining 9 lakh 75 thousand tons are being imported by private companies.

98% of the LPG used in the country is import dependent. The government has so far approved 57 companies. Of these, 20 are being prepared in 28 markets. The market share of the government company is only one and a half percent.

LPG is basically a blend of propane and butane. The demand for LPG is increasing as the gas crisis continues to grow in the country.

Sunbd/NJ