LPG

South Korea's SK Gas Ltd. has agreed to pay a record $5.3 million in an auction to secure passage for its LPG carrier, the G. Spirit, through the Panama Canal on September 1, amid surging demand for the route following the Iran war's impact on global trade. The price breaks the previous record of $4.6 million, set just in early August, also by a South Korean operator. According to Argus Media, ships without a reservation may face waits of up to 17 days. Meanwhile, the Panama Canal Authority plans to restrict the number of vessels and cargo volumes starting in September due to drought risks from El Niño. Before February, the average auction price was just $55,000, but it has now surged nearly 100-fold, reflecting significantly increased demand.

Atlas Energy Public Company Limited, or ATLAS, has announced a double-digit sales growth target for 2026 by pressing ahead with expansion across every dimension of its integrated liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, business. Chief Executive Officer Suwatchai Phithakwongsaphon said that in the second half of the year the company will expand its customer base, add distribution channels, and develop products and services under the JUMP+ programme to create added value and strengthen long-term growth. In the first half of 2026, the company reported six-month total revenue of 6.2544 billion baht, up 5 percent from the same period a year earlier. For the first six months of 2026, total revenue came to 6.0519 billion baht, an increase of 307.5 million baht, or 5.4 percent, with net profit of 132.4 million baht. Gross profit margin stood at 14.6 percent, up from 14.4 percent in the same period last year. The company is targeting total revenue growth of 25 to 35 percent in 2028, reaching 14.9585 billion to 16.1552 billion baht, from total revenue of 11.9668 billion baht in 2025. In the first half of the year it opened three new service stations and expanded its cooking gas retail network by 525 outlets, and expects gas sales volume this year to exceed 450,000 tonnes.

The Energy Ministry has increased the subsidy for liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, from 7.2209 baht per kilogram to 9.8642 baht per kilogram, in order to cap the domestic retail price at 423 baht per 15-kilogram cylinder. Mr. Weerapat Kiatfuengfoo, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Energy Ministry and ministry spokesperson, announced on August 7, 2026, that this measure aims to prevent energy costs from being passed on to the prices of food, goods, and services essential to people's livelihoods, amid global energy price volatility stemming from uncertainty over the situation between the United States and Iran, particularly concerning the Strait of Hormuz. However, the continued use of the Oil Fuel Fund mechanism has resulted in the fund's net position as of August 7, 2026, being negative 71.83 billion baht, an increase of approximately 2.04 billion baht from the previous week.