What is the price of butane this February?
February won’t be a favorable month for butane because the bottle remains priced above the previous month, following the most recent price set by the executive a few weeks ago. Consumers have expressed dissatisfaction with the latest rise and are voicing their complaints about the price trend change.
Butane is a special market product because its price is regulated by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. This department fixes its value for a determined period based on specific factors, and the Council of Ministers later approves through a Royal Decree-Law a new price for a defined timeframe. There is always a 5% limit that law requires to protect consumers from sharp price fluctuations.
What is the February price for butane?
The price for the 12.5 kg butane bottle published on January 16 in the Official State Gazette will remain in effect until the third Monday of March. At that point, the value for the following two months will be calculated. The factors considered include:
- Price of the raw material in the international market
- Restrictions in producing countries
- Transport costs
- Euro-dollar exchange rate
- Import duties
- Taxes
Taking all these elements into account, the government set the butane bottle at a price of 15.89 euros. The increase has hovered right at the legal 5% limit, mainly due to higher transport costs by about 4% and the elevated commodity prices driven by war-related disruptions, maritime blockades, and international conflicts.
This marks the second consecutive period with price increases after November’s rise to 15.14 euros. Back in September-October, a low of 14.43 euros was reached after many months of declines since 2022, when the price hit a near-record high around 20 euros. Consumers are keenly awaiting the next adjustment to see whether the upward trend continues or if the price of butane finally declines. [Source: Boletín Oficial del Estado]