We didn’t increase price of cooking gas – NLNG

The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited, NLNG, has denied increasing prices of the product as recently reported.
Speaking with Business Times yesterday, the company’s General Manager, External Relations, Kudo Eresia-Eke, said Nigeria LNG’s domestic LPG price is based on an international price index plus 50% of the shipping cost of delivering the product to receiving facilities in Apapa-Lagos.
That price, according to NLNG, is invoiced in Naira at the prevailing official interbank exchange rates, contrary to assertions made in parts of the media.
The reality of this is that, although LPG is produced and consumed locally, the product like crude oil, is an internationally traded commodity with an international price benchmark, open to global demand and supply pressures.
NLNG however, said it softens the impact of price variations by continuing to subsidise the cost of transporting about 40% of the total domestic market share which it supplies from its production facility on Bonny Island.
Aside from the above, the company said recent delays to vessel discharges at the receiving facilities in Apapa, Lagos which are multi-use terminals with berthing priority accorded to vessels discharging other oil products (Petrol, DPK and Diesel), have also led to a temporary supply disruption over the last 2-3 weeks.
“For instance, NLNG’s dedicated LPG vessel has been unable to discharge LPG at the Apapa port since 29th December 2016 due to jetty unavailability, resulting in temporary product shortages in the market”, it said.
Additionally, NLNG said it will continue to work with stakeholders including off-takers and terminal operators, to eliminate bottlenecks and improve operational efficiencies to ensure product availability and help correct market price distortions.
“We are also engaged with other public and private stakeholders along the domestic market value chain to stimulate price stability and growth”.
In conclusion, NLNG said remains fully committed to the goals of ensuring LPG supply availability, reliability and affordability.
Meanwhile, the company revealed that the NLNG Board has approved an increase in the LPG dedicated for supply into the domestic market from 250,000 metric tonnes to 350,000 metric tonnes annually.