UBR.ua
A number of gas station chains across Ukraine on August 29-30 have already begun to lower retail prices for liquefied petroleum gas, used as motor fuel, by 10-50 kopiykas per liter, Oleksandr Sirenko, an analyst at UPECO, an energy consulting company, has told an UNIAN correspondent.
Having listed gas stations where prices had already been reduced, the expert said: "These are only the first steps. Over the two days, prices have been decreased only by regional operators or smaller players.For a significant reduction, it is necessary that prices be dropped by major networks of gas stations," Sirenko said, adding that in two days the average price of LNG across Ukraine fell only by 2 kopiykas per liter, that is down to UAH 16.01 per liter.
Also, the expert noted the beginning of a decline in prices in the wholesale segment of the market.
"Today, the average wholesale price fell by UAH 486 per tonne, to UAH 29,003 per tonne," he added.
As UNIAN reported earlier, over the past two weeks there had been a sharp increase in prices for LPG across gas station networks.
Read alsoRussia suspends LPG exports to Ukraine again - tradersAs of August 28, prices have reached UAH 16.49 - UAH 16.99 per liter.
According to UPECO, the reasons for the increase in prices were a high level of gas consumption, a shortage of supplies, as well as a lack of capacity in the market for the storage of this type of fuel.
On August 29, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman called record growth of LPG prices a “sabotage” and instructed that the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry, the Anti-Monopoly Committee, the State Fiscal Service, and other state bodies develop possible solutions to the problem and "ensure a different price picture" before September 15.
August 30, President Petro Poroshenko said that prices for gas should go for a significant decline as early as the second half of September.