Consumers across Bangladesh face the prospect of another steep rise in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices, as the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) prepares to hold a public hearing on Thursday, 29 October. The commission will evaluate proposals submitted by importers, distributors, and retailers seeking higher margins and allowances to offset mounting operational, storage, and transportation expenses.
The hearing comes less than a month after BERC implemented a major price adjustment on 4 October, which saw the price of a standard 12 kg LPG cylinder jump by BDT 252 to BDT 1,837. This sharp increase put immediate financial strain on households relying on bottled gas for daily cooking, particularly in urban and semi-urban regions where natural gas pipeline connections remain unavailable or restricted.
At the upcoming session, BERC officials will thoroughly scrutinise the financial claims presented by private sector LPG operators. Industry stakeholders argue that inflation, fluctuating global market rates, rising fuel costs for domestic logistics, and supply chain bottlenecks have rendered their current profit margins unsustainable. The commission must now weigh these commercial grievances against consumer protection mandates to determine whether a further tariff revision is justified.
Beyond individual household cylinders, the regulatory review covers the entire spectrum of LPG products in the country, including autogas used in the transport sector. During the October adjustment, BERC set the retail price of LPG at BDT 153.06 per kilogram, while autogas was raised from BDT 73.09 to BDT 84.62 per litre. Prices for smaller units, such as the 5.5 kg cylinder, were fixed at BDT 842, whereas larger commercial cylinders saw proportional increases, peaking at BDT 6,888 for a 45 kg unit.
The table below outlines the comprehensive tariff structure established by the commission during its previous price fixing on 4 October:
| Product Category / Cylinder Weight | Approved Retail Price (BDT) |
| Per Kilogram LPG Rate | 153.06 |
| Autogas (Per Litre) | 84.62 |
| 5.5 kg Cylinder | 842.00 |
| 12 kg Cylinder | 1,837.00 |
| 12.5 kg Cylinder | 1,913.00 |
| 15 kg Cylinder | 2,296.00 |
| 16 kg Cylinder | 2,449.00 |
| 18 kg Cylinder | 2,755.00 |
| 20 kg Cylinder | 3,061.00 |
| 22 kg Cylinder | 3,367.00 |
| 25 kg Cylinder | 3,827.00 |
| 30 kg Cylinder | 4,592.00 |
| 33 kg Cylinder | 5,051.00 |
| 35 kg Cylinder | 5,357.00 |
| 45 kg Cylinder | 6,888.00 |
Public interest groups and consumer rights advocates are expected to present strong counter-arguments during Thursday’s proceedings, urging BERC to resist further hikes and ensure that private distributors do not pass inefficient operational costs onto the public. The commission’s final decision will dictate whether energy costs stabilize or trigger further inflationary pressure across the national economy.
