Beijing- Beijing lifts the price of household natural gas by 0.15 yuan to 2.05 yuan (26 US cents) per cubic meter on Sunday amid its efforts to establish a flexible price system based on the market supply.

Households using an average of 18 cubic meters of gas per month will see their monthly bills rise by 2.7 yuan (35 US cents). The city tries to establish a gas price adjustment mechanism based on production prices, Beijing Times reported.

The natural gas price in Beijing was relatively low compared with that of other forms of energy, such as liquefied petroleum gas and electricity. The city's current gas price was lower than that of other big cities such as Tianjin (2.2 yuan, or 28 US cents) and Shanghai (2.1 yuan, or 27 US cents).

The Beijing government will carry out a series of measures to ensure that the low-income families' lives will not be affected much by the adjustment, according to the report.

Beijing first lifted its gas price in September 2006 by 0.15 yuan. A public hearing to consider a rise of household natural gas prices was held on December 22, 2006, and over 90 percent of representatives agreed with the rise.

(Xinhua News Agency April 1, 2007)