The comptroller of the National Gas Regulatory Entity (Enargas), Federico Bernal, assured this Monday that the public hearings for the updating of gas rates “will not be decorative” and the instruction of President Alberto Fernández on the importance of “a social service that guarantees human rights”.
In these hearings, scheduled for May 10, 11 and 12, “nothing will be done outside the regulatory framework, the positions of the participants will be heard and the law is very clear regarding increases,” Bernal pointed out in statements to FM Metro.
“Citizens have to be calm that nothing will be done to prevent them from paying for public service. Doubts between paying for gas or paying for the children’s school are over,” added Bernal.
Regarding a possible shortage of gas during the winter, the official indicated that he does not have the precise information to refer to that issue.
The public hearings convened by the Energy Secretariat will be held on May 10, 11 and 12.
All the beneficiaries of the social gas rate will not be reached by a new increase during this year, while for electricity users in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA) who have this benefit, the new correction will not exceed 6% on average.
The 10% of residential users of gas and electricity services with the greatest ability to pay will no longer receive the benefit of the energy subsidy.
In this way, for the majority of residential users of Edenor and Edesur -excluding those who are beneficiaries of the social rate- electricity bills would have an average correction of 17%.
For its part, this average correction for the majority of gas users in the country will be 21.5%, with slight variations according to the regions.
