Ukraine war: is LPG now scarce and expensive?

Created: 07/11/2022, 12:55 p.m

By: Marcus Efler

Scarce gas, expensive fuel - and now the shutdown of Nord Stream 1: Will autogas (LPG) soon become a rare raw material?

Munich – Concerns about an energy shortage and the extremely rising prices as a result of the Ukraine war are currently affecting homeowners and renters as well as drivers: from electricity to gas to fuel, pretty much everything you need to drive is currently more expensive and heating required.

Even the tank discount only helps to a limited extent.

Price advantage: LPG does not even cost half as much as fuel.

© Wolfgang Maria Weber/Imago

Ukraine war: is LPG now scarce and expensive?

To the amazement of some motorists, only one type of fuel remains relatively inexpensive: LPG for gas-powered vehicles.

The "Liquified Petroleum Gas" (i.e. liquid gas) is also referred to as LPG.

However, it should not be confused with natural gas (CNG), which only plays a minor role at filling stations and in cars.

The tax-deductible LPG is still available for around one euro per liter, and in some cases the prices are even in the cent range.

Will that change now that Russia has shut down Nord Stream 1?

Ukraine war: LPG does not come from Russia

Probably not.

A large part of the LPG comes from European oil refineries, and not from Russian gas fields.

It is a by-product of fuel production.

Germany, Great Britain and Italy (behind the USA and Japan) rank third, fourth and fifth among the production countries, while Spain, the Netherlands and France also deliver reliably.

In the event of an energy crisis, it is possible that the LPG prices will rise slightly due to the economic context.

However, there should not be any bottlenecks in the supply for the time being - unless a large number of drivers suddenly switch to models such as the Dacia Jogger with LPG drive.