The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) on Sunday raised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices by around 12.63 per cent for selling the cooking fuel to clients by private-sector operators in September.
BERC Chairman Md Nurul Amin announced the new prices in a press briefing at the commission's office, which came into effect from 6:00 pm on Sunday.
The private sector operators will now charge Tk 1,280 for per 12-kg cylinder, up by Tk 144 from August's retail price of Tk 1,140.
They will be able to sell LPG through different sizes of cylinders, like 5.5-kg, 12.5-kg, 15-kg, 16-kg, 18-kg, 20-kg, 22-kg, 25-kg, 30-kg, 35-kg and 45-kg, to the consumers at proportionately higher prices in September, according to the BERC announcement.
The retail price of autogas, the LPG used in vehicles, was also raised to Tk 58.87 per litre including VAT, from the previous price of Tk 52.17 per litre.
The price of the state-owned LP Gas' LPG, however, was kept unchanged at Tk 591 per 12.5-kg cylinder.
The commission adjusted the cooking fuel prices for the domestic market, considering the Saudi Aramco contract price (CP) for September 2023 as the benchmark.
It also considered fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and changes in the value-added tax (VAT).
The BERC has been fixing LPG prices for the private operators within the first week of every month since April 2021.
Sources said currently some 27 LPG operators are doing business here, although some 58 received licences for the business.
Some 20 operators import around 1.10 million tonnes of LPG from the international market, which is around 98 per cent of the country's total requirement, while seven are satellite operators.
There are some 20 LPG terminals across the country, and the total reserve capacity is around 100,000 tonnes.
Some 35 million LPG cylinders are being used across the country, while around 200 road tankers, 5,000 trucks and 21 cargoes are involved in the LPG business.
Azizjst@yahoo.com
