KUCHING: The Ministry of Utility and Telecommunications is taking immediate steps to address the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) shortage affecting Miri and Bintulu.
Its minister Datuk Seri Julaihi Narawi said that the LPG cylinders supply in Bintulu is temporarily unavailable due to recent natural disasters.
“Petroliam Sarawak Berhad (Petros) through its subsidiary PETROSNiaga Sdn Bhd is currently sourcing LPG supplies from Senari to Miri and Bintulu, and the delivery process is ongoing.
“I hope everyone can be patient as this is an unforeseen situation involving a natural disaster,” he said when met after a visit to the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) operation at the Sejingkat Power Plant here yesterday (Feb 14).
He stressed that Petros has acted swiftly to address the issue and will resolve it as soon as possible to ensure consumers are not further affected.
“I understand that some may take this opportunity to criticise, but it is important to remember that this incident is beyond our control and takes time to resolve.
“If it can be resolved today, that would be even better. The most important thing is to resolve it as quickly as possible because we, too, are just as concerned as everyone else, including those making complaints,” he said.
Meanwhile, he clarified that the LPG price remains fixed at RM26.60 for domestic consumers, and any party that increases the price will face strict action from Petros.
“I have instructed Petros to take immediate action against any party that arbitrarily raises prices.
“We understand the demand for LPG in this situation, and distributors must not take advantage by increasing prices,” he said.
He also announced that the government has doubled the number of gas cylinders in the market, with RM50 million injected in the first phase to add 350,000 new gas cylinders.
“Now, the amount has increased to RM100 million, bringing the total to 690,000 new gas cylinders in the market.
“In total, there are 1.8 million LPG gas cylinders in circulation, but the unexpected natural disaster has temporarily impacted supply,” said Julaihi.
