An increase in gas tariffs took effect yesterday, with unit prices rising just over 8 per cent for domestic users and by more than 14 per cent for the largest commercial customers according to Macau Post Daily.
The hike reflects the increased cost of energy worldwide. Authorities say the cost of supplying natural gas to Macao has risen by some 20 per cent.
For householders, the gas price will rise from just under 7 patacas to almost 7.6 patacas per unit, with the increase in monthly bills expected to average out at less than 10 patacas, Macau Post Daily said.
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However, major clients (for-profit entities consuming at least 20,000 cubic metres of natural gas each month) and so-called special clients (enterprises whose natural gas is supplied through high-pressure pipelines) face respective hikes in unit prices of 9.09 per cent and as much as 14.34 per cent.
Macao’s natural gas service is supplied by Macau City Gas, a joint venture between Nam Kwong Natural Gas Company Limited and a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation.
The Environmental Protection Bureau says it will continue to urge the company to negotiate with upstream suppliers with the aim of lowering costs.
