China raised ex-factory natural-gas prices for some industrial users by about 50% to curb growing demand by chemical companies and power generators for the clean fuel, the country's two largest gas producers said Thursday.
The rise in the prices that producers charge buyers of natural gas is in line with government efforts to prioritize use of limited supplies of the gas in order to reduce urban pollution.
It also reflects government efforts to narrow the gap between relatively low domestic gas prices and much higher external gas prices, a task driven by China's growing use of imported liquefied natural gas.
Fertilizer companies, which are heavy users of gas, are excluded from the price increase, possibly because the government wants to protect low-income farmers, who are the main users of fertilizers.
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