The Government will define this week
the increases in natural gas rates
per network for the entire country.
The resolutions would be published this Friday in the Official Gazette and will reflect the
removal of
energy subsidies, in addition to the improvement in the income of transporters and distributors.
Gas was the last national public service that had frozen its rates since the middle of last year.
In December, households paid just 17% of the real cost of gas supply (70 cents per million BTU over US$4.10) while companies asked for increases of more than 500% in their margins.
If a total reduction of subsidies were advanced,
rates would be multiplied by at least 6 times
.
The consulting firm
EcoGo calculated that gas could increase by 743%
.
"This week there will be news," said the Secretary of Energy,
Eduardo Rodríguez Chirillo
, upon leaving his participation in the AmCham Summit.
In the private sector, they trust that the increase will begin to take effect from March 15, so as not to defer until April the recomposition of their income in the midst of months with double-digit inflation.
In addition, they expect an accelerated
indexation mechanism for their rates based on the evolution of wholesale inflation (IPIM), retail inflation (CPI) and salaries
.
The public hearing was held on January 4 and the
National Gas Regulatory Entity (Enargas)
had everything resolved to apply the rate increase since February.
But the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, ordered the increase to be postponed and to move forward, instead, with the adjustment in electrical energy, which entails larger subsidies at this time of year.
S.N.