Archive · 10 Nov 2025
Saudi LPG Price Cut Significantly Reduces Indian Oil Companies' Losses
Imagine a family buys milk every day but the store sells it for less than they pay for it.
This is like the oil companies in India selling cooking gas (LPG).
They were losing a lot of money on each gas bottle because the price they paid to get it from places like Saudi Arabia was very high.
But recently, Saudi Arabia made its cooking gas much cheaper.
Now, the Indian companies are not losing as much money on each bottle, which is great for them and helps the government too.
This means they can keep the prices lower for families, especially for those who need it the most.
Even though they are still losing a little bit of money, it's much less than before, and the government has promised to help cover some of the past losses.
Saudi Arabia's cut in LPG benchmark prices has lowered Indian household LPG under-recoveries to their lowest in over two years.
Under-recoveries for Indian oil companies have dropped from Rs 200-250 per cylinder to approximately Rs 20-40.
Saudi Aramco's November benchmark contract prices for propane and butane reached a 27-month low.
This price drop provides relief to the Indian government, which had approved Rs 30,000 crore compensation for previous LPG-related losses.
Lower LPG prices are causing industries to switch from natural gas to LPG, impacting city gas utilities.
- Who
- Saudi Arabia, Indian State-run oil companies (IndianOil, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum), analysts, industry executives, and the Indian government
- What
- Saudi Arabia's significant cut in LPG benchmark prices has drastically reduced the under-recoveries (losses) for Indian oil companies selling LPG to households, reaching a 27-month low.
- When
- Benchmark prices for November, with impact seen as current under-recoveries decrease and government compensation to be disbursed starting November 2025.
- Where
- Saudi Arabia (as a key supplier) and India (as the consumer and refiner)
- Why
- The price cut by Saudi Arabia is due to falling benchmark rates for propane and butane, aimed at making LPG more affordable domestically and reducing losses for importing nations like India.
- LPG Under-recoveries per cylinder
- Reduced from Rs 200-250 to Rs 20-40
- Saudi Benchmark Prices (November)
- Propane: $475/tonne, Butane: $460/tonne (27-month low)
- Government Compensation Approved
- Rs 30,000 crore for last financial year's losses
- India's LPG Import Reliance
- 60% of needs
- IndianOil/HPCL Tender
- For US-origin LPG cargoes, results due mid-November
- Industrial Shift
- Industries switching from natural gas to LPG due to lower propane rates