The resolutions where they will be defined should be published in the Official Journal next Wednesday the new tariff tables for natural gas service. This means that April consumption will already be invoiced by distributors with the new values.
The prices to be paid will result from the reduction of subsidies that will affect electricity meters. high-income families, businesses and industries. The price of gas, which is one of the components of the bill, will triple at least next month and will undergo a further jump between May and September.
The increase in bills will be felt especially in the winter period, when increased consumption will be combined with the rise in energy prices. Increases of at least 300% are expected. In the industry and consultants believe there will be more.
The official definition arrives two months late. The Ministry of Energy and the National Gas Regulatory Agency (Enargas) had everything ready to apply the increases in February, but the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, lowered the waiting order to try to anchor the inflation at lower levels.
Due to the fiscal situation, the government has to lower 3 billion dollars energy subsidies – and given the context of the sector, the decision could not wait any longer.
Due to subsidies, the company Enarsa -which imports energy at the market price and sells it at a lower price on the domestic market, accumulates an operating deficit of 7.2 billion dollars during the government of Alberto Fernández.
Increased oil and gas production, the commissioning of the pipeline launched last year and the removal of subsidies are expected to drastically reduce this number.
Energy Resolution 41/2024, to which Clarín had exclusive access, establishes the new wholesale gas prices (at the entry point of the transport system, PIST), which are part of the supply mix of local production and imports. It is important to clarify that gas represents only a part of the bill, also made up of transport, distribution and tax margins.
“We are going to a flat rate,” said an official source, “which means that the increase in winter will be lower in relative terms than now. The idea is that this is a temporary scheme while we test the basic energy basket scheme for a couple of months.”
Source: Clarin
