Is cooking gas running short? What the regulator's September figures say
Nigerians used more cooking gas in September than the official benchmark, and depots held about half the stock they are meant to keep. The regulator says that does not add up to a national shortage. Here is how to read the numbers.
In 30 seconds
- Daily LPG use rose 8% to 5.2 kilotonnes in September, about a third above the 3.9 kt benchmark, according to NMDPRA data reported by Legit.ng.
- Local supply now covers about 96% of what comes in; imports fell 85% in the month.
- Stock cover was 15.9 days against a 30-day requirement.
- Retail prices ranged from ₦1,200 to ₦1,600 a kg; a 12.5kg refill cost about ₦15,000 to ₦20,000.
With the festive season coming, many households are asking whether cooking gas will get scarce or much dearer. The latest figures from the downstream regulator give a mixed picture.
More people are using gas
Nigerians used about 5.2 kilotonnes of LPG a day in September, up 8% from 4.8 kt in August. That is about 33% above the official demand benchmark of 3.9 kt a day. The figures are from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), as reported by Legit.ng.
Supply rose too, but not as fast. About 4.7 kt a day came in, up from 4.3 kt. That left a gap of roughly 500 tonnes a day between what was used and what arrived.
Almost all of it is now made at home
The bigger change is where the gas comes from. Supply from local sources rose by half, from 3.0 kt to 4.5 kt a day. Imports fell 85% to about 0.2 kt.
NLNG and Seplat supplied 54.3% of what came in, other gas plants 26.4%, the Dangote refinery 15.1% and imports just 4.2%. So about 96% of the cooking gas that came in during September was produced in Nigeria.
The stock question
Depots are expected to hold enough LPG for 30 days. In September they held about 15.9 days' worth.
That sounds worrying, but the NMDPRA said its figures did not show a nationwide shortage. Stock cover measures a cushion, not what is on sale today.
What it costs
Retail prices ranged from ₦1,200 a kg in Abuja to ₦1,600 in Bauchi. Lagos was between ₦1,250 and ₦1,400. Refilling a 12.5kg cylinder cost roughly ₦15,000 to ₦20,000, depending on where you live.
Some suppliers raised prices by up to ₦75 a kg in two days in late October, Legit.ng reported.
What it means for you
There is no sign of a national shortage, but demand is running ahead of supply and the cushion in depots is thin. That is the kind of setting in which prices creep up, especially in December.
If you can, refill before the festive rush rather than waiting until your cylinder is empty. Compare a few plants near you, since prices differ a lot from city to city and from plant to plant.
Always buy from a licensed plant, and never let anyone fill a cylinder that is rusty or past its test date.
Words to know
- LPG
- Liquefied petroleum gas, the cooking gas sold in cylinders.
- Kilotonne (kt)
- A thousand tonnes.
- Stock cover
- How many days the gas held in depots would last at the current rate of use if no new supply came in.
- NMDPRA
- The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, which oversees fuel and gas supply and depots.
Sources
Spotted an error? Tell us and we will fix it and say so.