Petron No.1 in LPG sales

As expected, Petron Corp. continues to dominate the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) market, with a share of 32.68 percent in the first three months. Through its brand name Gasul, Petron sold 978,403 barrels out of the 2,994,261 barrels sold by the industry during the period.

Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., which sells LPG under the brand name Shellane, controlled 27.68 percent of the market or 828,672 barrels. Shellane and Gasul have consistently controlled the top two slots among sellers of LPG in the Philippine market.

Caltex Philippines through its brand name Caltex LPG accounted for 14.28 percent of the market with sales of 427,614 barrels from January to March this year.

The new players – TotalGas, Liquigaz Philippines Corp., Pryce Gas Inc., Petronas and Nation Gas – had a combined sale of 759,572 barrels or 25.37 percent of the market, up from last year’s 24 percent. The new players had a share of 9.9 percent when they first entered the market in 1998.

The country utilizes an average of one million metric tons of LPG annually. Government placed the industry’s annual growth rate at eight percent while the Southern Philippines is said to be growing by 15 percent yearly. – Ted Torres