ABU DHABI // Residents in the capital have until September 8 to register for Rahal e-Gas cards, or face increased prices for liquid petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) announced that as long as residents have a card, the price they are paying at service stations would not increase. The subsidised amount in place would remain the same.
If they do not register for a card, however, they will pay the increased rate, which Adnoc has not yet announced.
The cards provide an allowance for the subsidised gas, with Emiratis receiving the highest allowance.
Gas cylinders for Emirati families can be subsidised up to Dh150 per month, while single people can use up to Dh70.
Expatriates or resident families can consume the subsidised gas at a rate of Dh70 a month; a single resident up to Dh40.
Anyone exceeding the quota must buy their next cylinder at non-subsided rates, a Rahal e-Gas customer service representative said.
To obtain a card, customers can register at www.adnocdistribution.ae. Once an application is approved they will receive a text informing them to visit their nearest service station or Rahal centre with the required documents to collect the card.
Customers can apply in person at Adnoc Distribution’s head office in Abu Dhabi. Other application points include Rahal centres at the Airport Road service station, Mussaffah station and Khalifa City station, as well as the Al Ain regional office and Western Region centre in Madinat Zayed. Service stations across Abu Dhabi, including 52 outlets in Abu Dhabi, 27 in Al Ain and 19 in the Western Region, are also accepting applications.
“From next month onwards, those who don’t have the e-Gas card will not get their cylinder at the subsidised rates. The customer has to pay the higher price,” said A K, an employee of Tarish Ateeq Al Qubaisi Gas, an LPG distributor in the capital.
“Currently, the small size LPG cylinder costs Dh20 and medium size Dh30. It cost between Dh5 to Dh10 extra, depending upon the location, if the customers wants home delivery,” he said.
The official said Abu Dhabi enjoyed the best subsided LPG cylinder prices.
“If you go to Dubai you will be paying five to six times more as the average refilling cost of a medium-size cylinder in Dubai is between Dh120 and Dh125.”
He said that the card system would help to regulate supply and combat the illegal use of subsided LPG, which is becoming “a concern among distributor companies like ours”.
Adnoc said that the move would ultimately benefit consumers.
“Through this initiative, we aim to streamline the distribution of LPG cylinders to ensure that the benefits are cascaded to a larger number of customers given the rapid urban growth Abu Dhabi continues to witness,” said Abdulla Al Dhaheri, Adnoc Distribution chief executive.
akhaishgi@thenational.ae