Liquefied gas price in Kazakhstan may be increased from July 1 – Energy MinistryPrices for liquefied gas are planned to be revised in Kazakhstan from July 1, the press service of the Ministry of Energy reported."From July 1 of this year, it is planned to adjust prices for liquefied petroleum gas. Thus, the maximum wholesale price per tonne of liquefied petroleum gas will be 45,158 tenge (previously - 40,320 tenge). At the same time, the maximum retail price will increase slightly - from 5 to 8 tenge per liter depending on the region,” the information says.The draft order of the Minister of Energy has been published on the Open Legal Regulations portal and is at the stage of public discussion. In accordance with the document, it is planned to adjust the price of liquefied petroleum gas in Kazakhstan from July 1.“Today, the price of liquefied petroleum gas is much lower than the cost of its production. Thus, the cost of LPG production varies from 60,000 to 70,000 tenge per tonne, while the current maximum wholesale price for manufacturing plants is 40,320 tenge per tonne. Thus, for each tonne of gas produced, plants incur losses of 20,000-30,000 tenge,” the department noted.In addition, according to the Ministry of Energy, there is a significant increase in LPG consumption from year to year. The ministry clarified that the increase in consumption and the unprofitability of LPG production due to low prices led to a decrease in the production of this type of fuel and a certain shortage in the regions. Today the deficit level reaches about 20-25%.“Last year alone, consumption in Kazakhstan increased by 400,000 tonnes, or 28%, compared to 2022. Thus, in 2023, LPG consumption volumes amounted to 2.2 million tonnes (against 1.8 million tonnes in 2022) ", the department noted. The Ministry of Energy noted that in the event of further containment of LPG prices, Kazakh manufacturing plants will not be able to increase production volumes to meet demand in the domestic market. Due to unprofitability, factories are losing interest in LPG production, switching to more profitable products. Due to similar reasons, investors are also reluctant to invest in the industry.“Kazakhstan has some of the lowest prices for the CIS - from 54 to 86 tenge. For comparison, in Russia the price per liter of gas is 132 tenge, in Azerbaijan - 171 tenge, and in Tajikistan - 273 tenge. According to analysts, in 2024 consumption volumes in the domestic market will increase by another 200,000  tonnes and amount to 2.4 million tonnes, while the gas shortage may reach 30-40%,” the department emphasizedThe Ministry of Energy claims that manufacturing plants have repeatedly raised questions and requests for price adjustments in order to maintain the level of liquefied gas production. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX