Increases in the price of petrol, kerosene, and diesel have been approved by the Tonga Competent Authority (TCA) starting on 18 March.

The new start date has been moved from the 16th to the 18th of every month (unless falls on the weekend or public holiday), to allow enough time for the public to be aware of the new prices. 

The new wholesale prices for petrol, kerosene, and diesel will increase by 14.17, 12.96 and 14.42 seniti/litre respectively.

The new retail prices for petrol, kerosene, and diesel on Tongatapu will be 279.52, 178.27, and 277.29 seniti/litre respectively.

All product prices increased with crude on a month-to-month comparison, with petrol and diesel rising slightly more due to the impact of US extreme weather closing refineries which has tightened supply.

Comparing the January month average prices with January: 

• Crude oil (Dated Brent) was up by USD 6.97/bbl (12.6%); 
• Petrol was up by USD 7.82/bbl (13%); 
• Kerosene was up by USD 7.11/bbl (12.3%); and 
• Diesel was up by USD 7.95/bbl (13.3%). 

This month’s prices are also impacted by the change in petrol specification (50ppm sulphur to 10ppm sulphur) whereby the petrol price will increase by an additional 3.84 seniti/litre (including consumption tax). 

The freight rate also decreased by 7.4%, while they said Tongan Pa’anga remained stable.

The new price increases follow fuel increases for the last three months. Since 16 December 2020 in Tongatapu petrol prices have risen by 15.37%, kerosene by 26% and diesel by 15.03%

LPG price

The new LPG price has also been approved by the Tonga Competent Authority (TCA) starting on 18 March.

The LPG price has increased in Tongatapu and Vava’u by .42 seniti/kg and .41 seniti/kg respectively.

The increase in LPG price for this quarter is due to the increase of international price. Saudi CP Butane prices increased by 42% compared to the fourth quarter of 2020 and have risen with increasing crude oil prices. Crude prices were further supported by a strong economic outlook in China and falling global stock holdings offsetting the impact of a rise in CoViD-19 cases.