LAUGFS Gas PLC has raised the price of its domestic LP gas cylinders with effect from midnight on Friday, 13 November, adding Rs. 1,775 to the 12.5 kg cylinder and Rs. 732 to the 5 kg.
The company said the revision reflects higher liquefied petroleum gas prices on the international market, which have increased the cost of securing shipments to Sri Lanka.
The new prices
| Cylinder | Old price | New price | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12.5 kg | Rs. 4,965 | Rs. 6,740 | Rs. 1,775 (+35.8%) |
| 5 kg | Rs. 1,988 | Rs. 2,720 | Rs. 732 (+36.8%) |
The figures are identical across all three newsrooms that filed the announcement on Friday evening.
How this compares with Litro
LAUGFS is the smaller of Sri Lanka’s two domestic LPG suppliers. The state-controlled market leader, Litro Gas, announced on 1 November that it would not revise its prices for the month, leaving its 12.5 kg cylinder at Rs. 4,365 — the level it has held since a reduction on 5 September.
On that comparison, a LAUGFS 12.5 kg cylinder now costs about Rs. 2,375 more than a Litro cylinder of the same size, a premium of roughly 54%. The Litro figure is carried from this desk’s earlier reporting rather than from Friday’s filings, and none of Friday’s reports mention Litro or say whether the state supplier intends to follow.
The company’s finances
The increase was announced about eleven hours after LAUGFS Gas PLC’s September-quarter results became public. The group reported a net loss of Rs. 1.54 billion for the quarter ended 30 September, 88% wider than the Rs. 818.2 million loss a year earlier, EconomyNext reported on Friday morning.
Group revenue fell 57% to Rs. 5.71 billion, mostly because the overseas energy trading subsidiaries SLOGAL Energy DMCC and LYNQ Energy FZCO contributed no external turnover this time. Parent-company revenue from domestic LPG operations fell 28% to Rs. 4.62 billion, which EconomyNext attributed to local supply disruptions. The group swung to a gross loss of Rs. 470.9 million from a gross profit of Rs. 408.0 million.
None of Friday evening’s reports on the price increase refers to those results, and the company did not present the revision as a response to them. The sequence is stated here as context, not as a stated cause.
Supply
LAUGFS said it would make every effort to maintain a continuous supply of refills through its dealer network, and that domestic prices would be adjusted in line with prevailing international market prices.
Customers can call 1345 for refill availability and district-wise prices.
The supply assurance follows a difficult several weeks for the company. LAUGFS cylinders were in short supply through late October, prompting cross-filling arrangements with Litro and legal action by the Consumer Affairs Authority. The company said in early November that three LPG shipments were due during the month, and deliveries resumed on Thursday.
Not reported
None of the three filings gives the price of the 2.3 kg cylinder, states the international LPG benchmark or the shipment cost the company is citing, or says whether the revision was submitted to or approved by the Consumer Affairs Authority. No commercial or industrial cylinder prices are given, and there is no government or regulator comment. The reports do not say how long the new card will stand, beyond the company’s statement that prices track the international market.
