Energy · input
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) mixture of propane (C₃H₈) and butane (C₄H₁₀) produced as a byproduct of crude oil refining and natural gas processing. Primary uses: residential cooking and heating (global south, rural areas), industrial fuel, petrochemical feedstock (naphtha alternative for crackers). In Kazakhstan, TCO supplies LPG to the domestic market under government-mandated price agreements. Price volatility in LPG directly affects energy access for populations dependent on bottled gas for cooking.
6
Source countries
7
Companies
0
Goods affected
0
Claims on record
Where it comes from
Share of global supply, by country.
| Country | Share of supply |
|---|---|
| USUnited States | 43% |
| QAQatar | 11% |
| AUAustralia | 9% |
| SASaudi Arabia | 8% |
| NONorway | 5% |
| RURussia | 4% |
Who makes it
7 companies produce lpg (liquefied petroleum gas — propane + butane).
Largest US midstream MLP; operates the Enterprise Hydrocarbons Terminal (EHT) on Houston Ship Channel -- the largest LPG export terminal in the US and one of the largest in the world. 7 deepwater ship docks; expanding by 300,000 b/d by end of 2026. US propane exports have grown every year since 2007; Enterprise handles a dominant share of US LPG export volume.
State-owned energy company of Qatar; world's largest LNG producer (77M MT/year capacity, targeting 142 MT/year by 2029-30). North Field is one of the world's largest natural gas reserves. Qatar produces elemental sulfur as a byproduct of gas processing and LNG operations. Qatar's sulfur exports are approximately 0.18M MT/year (per one market data point), though Qatar's Hormuz exposure makes it a key transit chokepoint for regional sulfur flows even if its own production is modest relative to Saudi Arabia or Canada.
World's largest oil company by production. LPG is an associated byproduct of Saudi crude oil production and refining; exported via Ju'aymah LPG terminal at Ras Tanura (Eastern Province) and Yanbu (Red Sea). Saudi Arabia accounts for ~7-8% of global seaborne LPG exports (WLPGA 2023).
Major NGL midstream operator; holds NGL salt cavern storage at Mont Belvieu, TX. Targa's Grand Prix NGL pipeline brings Permian Basin NGL production to Mont Belvieu for fractionation and storage. 518,000 b/d fractionation capacity. Cedar Bayou Fractionator at Baytown TX was flooded during Hurricane Harvey 2017. The integrated storage-fractionation-export complex at Mont Belvieu represents the core of Targa's infrastructure value.
Abu Dhabi's state oil company. LPG produced at Ruwais industrial complex (largest refinery in Middle East) and exported via Abu Dhabi. UAE LPG exports fluctuated significantly -- down 58% in 2024 per WLPGA. ADNOC also supplies LPG domestically for residential cooking.
Algerian national oil company; operates helium extraction at the Arzew LNG complex (Bethioua, Oran Province) and Skikda LNG complex via HELIOS JV with Air Products (25+ year partnership). Algeria holds 8.2 billion cubic meters of proven helium reserves (world's second largest after Qatar's 10.1 Bcm per USGS 2025). Produces ~11 MMcm/yr (~7% of world). Primarily exports to European markets through Air Products. Algeria's Arzew plant went offline for unplanned maintenance in March 2022, contributing to Helium Shortage 4.0.
Joint venture operating the Tengiz and Korolevskoye oilfields in Kazakhstan: Chevron (50%), ExxonMobil (25%), Kazmunaigaz (20%), Lukoil (5%). Tengiz crude oil has up to 17% sulfur content — among the highest of any major oilfield globally. Sulfur accumulation at Tengiz became a major environmental issue: a $71M fine was levied in 2007 for sulfur storage violations. Kazakhstan exported $199M worth of sulfur in Q1 2022 alone (+263% YoY). TCO exports oil (and associated sulfur) via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) to Novorossiysk on the Black Sea — a single-pipeline dependency. CPC terminal damaged in March 2022, disrupting Kazakhstan exports. Tengiz fire (January 2026) caused force majeure.
