Energy
UK government pledges energy review to cut ‘unacceptable’ prices
* Government to review competition in energy sector
* Cameron says he will cut back green regulations
* Rising energy prices dominate political debate
* Labour says Cameron is panicking over high prices
LONDON – British Prime Minister David Cameron sought to regain the initiative in a political row over soaring energy prices on Wednesday, promising to try to improve competition in the sector and to cut green taxes that have helped inflate prices.
Energy costs have become a high-profile political issue in Britain after the opposition Labour Party promised to freeze bills for 20 months if it won the next election in 2015 and several energy firms unveiled sharp price increases.
How much Britons pay to heat their homes has also played into a wider debate about the cost of living which has risen as inflation and price rises from everything from utility bills to train tickets have outstripped stagnant wages.
“We need to roll back some of the green regulations and charges,” Cameron told parliament during an emotionally-charged debate. “We will be having a proper competition test carried out over the next year to get to the bottom of whether this market can be more competitive.”
Even though the overall economy is improving, Labour, who are just ahead in most opinion polls, have said many people will be faced with a choice between “eating and heating”, accusing Cameron’s ruling Conservatives of being out of touch.
Cameron on Wednesday described the high cost of energy bills as “unacceptable”, but said Labour’s plans to freeze prizes were an unworkable “con”. He too was prepared to intervene in the sector, he added, but in a way that was practical.
Energy supplier RWE npower raised electricity and gas charges by an average of 10.4 percent on Monday. That followed Centrica’s average 9.2 percent rise and an 8.2 percent increase by SSE. Centrica’s shares fell 1.2 percent after Cameron spoke.
The other three members of the “Big Six” who control 99 percent of the British retail energy market are Scottish Power, a unit of Spain’s Iberdrola, EDF Energy and E.ON.
The price rises stirred a debate about the profits made by the six firms and whether consumers are getting a fair deal.
COALITION RIFT?
Labour leader Ed Miliband seized the initiative on energy prices last month with an attack on a market he described as broken with a pledge to freeze bills.
Cameron dismissed the idea as unworkable but conceded that Miliband had “struck a chord” at a time of squeezed wages and rising household bills.
He came under further pressure on the issue on Tuesday when former Conservative prime minister John Major suggested Britain should tax energy firms’ “excess profits”.
Labour energy spokeswoman Caroline Flint said Cameron was “panicking over his failure to address soaring energy bills”.
Any cuts to environmental regulations are likely to anger Cameron’s coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats, a party keen to promote its record on green and social issues.
“(We) will not allow the Conservatives to undermine our commitment to the environment, hurt the fuel poor, or destroy our renewable energy industry,” said a Liberal Democrat source.
Environmental taxes and social charges contribute nearly 10 percent to domestic energy bills, which average more than 1,200 pounds ($1,900) a year for each household.
The competition review will start in the coming weeks and will look at “prices, profits and barriers to new entrants” to the sector and will rule nothing out when it comes to making it more competitive, Cameron’s spokesman said.
More details of any environmental tax reforms will be given in the government’s fiscal policy update to parliament on Dec. 4, the spokesman added.
The energy companies blame the rises on wholesale prices, the cost of the supply network, and the government’s environmental and social programmes.
“We have long recognized there is significant political and regulatory interest in energy supply markets and a balanced audit of competition in the market should be a useful additional step towards building customers’ trust”,” an SSE spokesman said.
– REUTERS
The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) has urged operators in Nigeria’s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) industry to strengthen safety standards, improve regulatory compliance and adopt digital technologies to reduce operational losses and drive business growth.
The association said improved operational practices would help protect investments, enhance efficiency, build consumer confidence and support the sustainable expansion of C.
The call followed its 2026 webinar, themed “Downstream LPG Operational Excellence and Compliance,” which brought together industry operators, regulators and other stakeholders to discuss safety risks, market volatility, operational inefficiencies and regulatory requirements in the downstream LPG sector.
Speaking at the event, NALPGAM National President, Edu Inyang, said the industry’s long-term growth would depend on more than increased consumption and supply volumes, stressing the need to embed safety and operational efficiency in everyday business practices.
“The future of Nigeria’s LPG industry cannot be achieved by increasing volumes alone. We must grow safely, responsibly, efficiently and sustainably. Safety is not an occasional campaign; it must become a continuous industry culture,” he said.
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A major outcome of the webinar was a proposal for a NALPGAM Standard of Operational Excellence, anchored on four principles: safe and well-maintained facilities, competent and adequately trained operators, regulatory-compliant processes, and consumer protection.
Participants urged operators to integrate safety into routine operations, strengthen preventive maintenance and comply with licensing and incident-reporting requirements.
They also called for an end to unsafe practices, including unauthorised propane blending and illegal decanting, warning that such activities could expose businesses and consumers to avoidable risks.
Inyang said compliance should be viewed as a means of strengthening business performance rather than merely fulfilling regulatory obligations.
“Compliance is not merely a regulatory burden; it is a business advantage. Well-managed LPG operations reduce accidents, improve efficiency, protect investments and strengthen public confidence in our industry,” he said.
The webinar also highlighted the role of digital technologies in improving operational efficiency and accountability across the LPG value chain.
Participants identified smart filling systems, automated tank gauges, load cells, flow meters and vehicle-tracking systems as practical tools for monitoring product movements, reducing losses and improving inventory management.
Wider adoption of these technologies, they said, could help operators strengthen operational controls, minimise discrepancies and improve the reliability of LPG distribution.
The discussions come as Nigeria seeks to expand LPG consumption to approximately five million tonnes annually by 2030, a target that will require increased investment, stronger distribution networks and wider consumer access.
Stakeholders called for greater industry participation in the Decade of Gas LPG penetration programme, alongside stronger collaboration to expand access, improve cylinder traceability and promote certified local manufacturing.
The NALPGAM also urged regulators and programme coordinators to involve its members more actively in implementing LPG penetration and cylinder recirculation initiatives.
According to the association, its members’ nationwide presence and proximity to consumers could help improve the reach and effectiveness of programmes designed to increase LPG adoption.
Reiterating the association’s position, Inyang said the industry must establish clear operational standards that protect consumers while supporting efficient and sustainable business practices.
“Our aspiration is clear: every LPG facility must be safe and properly maintained, every operator competent and adequately trained, every process compliant, and every customer protected. This is the standard of operational excellence we must collectively pursue,” he said.
The NALPGAM reaffirmed its commitment to working with government agencies, regulators and industry stakeholders to develop a safer, more efficient and competitive LPG market.
The association maintained that embedding safety, strengthening compliance and deploying appropriate technologies would be critical to improving operational performance and supporting the long-term growth of Nigeria’s LPG industry.
Fears of renewed US military strikes on Iran and escalating threats to energy infrastructure across the Middle East heightened concerns about global crude supplies have pushed-up crude oil prices in the global market.
These factors pushed crude oil prices over $117 a barrel in the global market, even as oil theft and pipeline losses in Nigeria fell by 82.9 percent in five years, from 102,900 barrels per day (bpd) in 2021 to 17,600 bpd in the first seven months of 2026, amid fresh concerns about further increases in lost volumes after years of decline.
Nigeria’s oil benchmark, Brent crude, climbed by about 3.5 percent to cross $117 a barrel during trading before easing to just above $116, still up approximately 2.7 percent.
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The latest rally followed reports that Washington was considering fresh military strikes against Iran after the November 3 midterm elections, raising concerns that the conflict, now in its eighth month, could escalate further rather than move towards a diplomatic resolution.
Iran had threatened to attack oil facilities, undersea cables, data centres and artificial intelligence infrastructure across the Gulf if the United States and Israel launched a new offensive against the country.
Recall that Brent crude traded at about $72 a barrel in February, before the war began, but surged to about $126 a barrel by the end of April as the conflict intensified and concerns mounted over supply security.
Tensions rose again during the week following claims by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) that it struck four commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday.
The US ordered some diplomats and family members of American government employees to leave Saudi Arabia, which had faced continued attacks by Houthi rebels operating from Yemen.
From January to September 2026, the domestic refineries in Nigeria received 156.52 million barrels of crude oil.
Of the volume, 125.85million barrels (80.4 percent) were sourced from in-country while 30.66 million barrels (19.6 percent) were imported.
This was contained in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) Factsheet September 2026 released on Thursday.
The Factsheet specifically revealed that in September 2026, 38.7 million litres of the Premium Motor Spirit PMS (petrol) were received per day, crashing from the 50.5million litres per day received in August by 23 percent.
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Stock sufficiency in September was 23.9 days, declining below the 30-day threshold.
The NMDPRA stressed that while 28.7million litres were supplied per day from domestic sources, declining by 21 percent from the previous month, 10.2 million litres were imported, reducing imported petrol by 30 percent in the period under review.
According to the Factsheet, “Domestic refining contributed about 65 percent of the national petrol requirement (consumption) in September 2026, and about 74 percent of receipts, supplemented by 26 percent of imports”.
The Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals Company (DPRP) is the only domestic refinery which currently produces petrol in Nigeria.
The report added that the DPRP produced 47.22 million litres per day of PMS in September, supplying 28.50 million litres per day to the domestic market and exporting (35.2 percent) 15.47 million litres per day.
On capacity utilization, the refinery recorded 105.98 percent of its 650,000 barrels per day capacity in the period under review.
The Factsheet disclosed that 8.7million litres of diesel were consumed in the month under review.
The NMDPRA revealed that modular refineries supplied 4.3 percent of domestic diesel consumption in September.
Aradel and OPAC, said the Factsheet, operated below optimal capacity due to feedstock challenges and maintenance shutdowns.
September diesel receipts, according to the NMDPRA, were the lowest of the 13 months, driven by low imports and low domestic evacuation amid high prices.
The Factsheet said, “Nigeria’s energy-sector transformation is progressing. Domestic refining contributed about 65 percent of the national petrol requirement (consumption) in September 2026, and about 74 percent of receipts, supplemented by 26 percent of imports.
“Priority gas projects have reached significant mileage, with the AKK pipeline at 84 percent completion as of September 2026,” the Factsheet pointed out.
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