CNG prices will be reduced by Rs 15 per kg in the next few days after annoucement that CNG alocation that IGL will get will be 100% which earlier was 73%. it will go up by Rs 10.6 a kg in April, when domestic gas prices almost double.
The oil ministry said city gas distribution (CGD) companies would get cheaper domestic gas to meet all of their requirements for CNG and piped natural gas (PNG) supplies to households compared with the previous limit of 80% for most states.
As a result, Indraprastha Gas Ltd will cut CNG/PNG prices by about Rs 15 per kg and Rs 5 per cubic metre, respectively. CNG (compressed natural gas) in Delhi now costs Rs 50.10 per kg and piped cooking gas Rs 29.50 per standard cubic metre.
"We note that this is only a temporary relief to consumers as the domestic natural gas prices will almost be doubled from the current $4.2 from April 1, thus forcing the CGD companies to raise CNG/PNG prices to pass on the increased costs.
"In the absence of any offsetting subsidy, they would need to raise CNG prices by Rs 10.6 per kg and PNG prices by Rs 8 per standard cubic meter," Goldman Sachs said in a research note. It said the price of CNG in Delhi will fall to Rs 35.1 a kg from the current level and then rise to Rs 45.7 a kg in April.
Goldman Sachs estimates the price of locally produced natural gas will climb to $7.8 per million British thermal units in April from $4.2 currently after the Rangarajan formula for pricing domestic gas is implemented.
The formula calls for pricing all domestically produced natural gas at the average of international hub rates and the cost of imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) in India.
Oil minister M Veerappa Moily said the price cut was possible because the government had decided to meet the entire need of CNG and PNG from domestic gas, which is subject to an administered pricing mechanism (APM). This eliminates the need to import costlier LNG.