2010-07-01 16:38

Natural gas prices for non-residential users were hiked in Shanghai, Sichuan and Hubei today, the National Business Daily reported Thursday.

The Shanghai Development and Reform Commission announced it was raising natural gas and manufactured gas prices for non-residential users by 0.39 yuan and 0.25 yuan per square meter, respectively.

The price for compressed natural gas used by vehicles in Sichuan was hiked to 4 yuan from 2.7 yuan per square meter, up 48 percent. Hubei province increased the price to 4.5 yuan from 3.35 yuan per square meter.

Other provinces also plan price hikes. Beijing plans a 10-percent increase for non-residential natural gas users and Xianning in Shaanxi province plans to raise the natural gas price for residential users by 0.3 yuan per square meter.

These adjustments echoed the central government's resources pricing reforms and would relieve natural gas producers' losses, said an energy analyst.

The National Development and Reform Commission announced an increase in the wholesale prices of natural gas by around 25 percent from June 1.