Cooking gas price to jump 15 baht when freeze expires in March: Ministry
The price of cooking gas (LPG) will jump after March 31 when the government freeze expires, the Energy Ministry said on Monday.
Ministry permanent secretary Kulit Sombatsiri said the price of a 15-kilogram cylinder would be allowed to rise gradually from the current 318 baht to 333 baht and then 363 baht.
He added that low-income households would receive extra LPG subsidy via the state welfare card, with payments raised from 45 baht every three months to 100 baht. About 13.5 million households are registered for this scheme.
The Finance Ministry will fund 45 baht of the payment, with the remaining 55 baht sourced elsewhere.
The ministry is unlikely to provide subsidies for LPG use in vehicles.
Kulit said that every 1 baht increase in the LPG price would reduce the burden on the Oil Fund by about 9 million baht per day, or about 270-280 million baht per month.
The Committee on Energy Policy Administration has frozen the cooking gas price for the past two years to help people affected by Covid-19. Subsidising the price freeze has cost 23.56 billion baht.
