Photo by: Bloomberg
The Competition Commission has once again delayed the conclusion of a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) market inquiry by another six months.
The conclusion of the inquiry, which had initially been scheduled to start in June 2014 and conclude by October 2015, had first been delayed to an expected end date in March this year after getting a late start owing to a retraction and correction in the terms of reference.
The commission on Wednesday said it would now need until September 30, to consider “emerging issues uncovered” in the inquiry to date and allow for the substantial engagement on the proposed recommendations with all key stakeholders.
“The commission is committed to make this market more competitive and hence engagements on proposed remedies require adequate consultation with key stakeholders including other regulatory bodies,” it said in a statement.
The preliminary findings and proposed recommendations would be published within a month for public comment.
The market inquiry aimed to understand and promote competition in the local LPG sector, examine whether the supply bottlenecks in the LPG sector may serve to create circumstances or incentives that serve to distort, prevent or lessen competition and analyse the current price regulatory framework and its impact on competition in the sector.