The province of Mendoza could say goodbye to the Cold Zone regime which allows its users to access discounts on the gas rate of between 30 and 50%. That is why the national representative for Mendoza, José Luis Ramón, called on President Javier Milei to correct the decision to affect said benefit.
The decree gives powers to the Ministry of Energy to establish new subsidized consumption limits and modify the segmentation criteria. Romina Ríos, the head of the NGO Protectora, assured before the microphones of FM Vos 94.5 that if this benefit is eliminated, the values that appear on the invoices could double. Statements that were also taken by Diario de San Rafael.
“This decree caused impact and surprise. It is very broad and establishes different powers for the Ministry of Energy to establish new consumption limits. On the other hand, it does not give details regarding the dates on which the limits can be established. new segmentations. With respect to the Cold Zone Law, it mentions those considered, but does not inform anything more about it,” Ríos explained.
“At the moment this is progress, it does not add anything new to what was established in previous public hearings. In the case of Mendoza residents, they would have an overlap of social rates with the Cold Zone Law and the subsidy that maintain users N2 and N3. We have no certainty if the Cold Zone regime will continue or if it will be eliminated,” he considered.
He estimated the impact that the elimination of the current regime would have: “Currently we have a benefit that is 50% or 30% of the full tariff schedule. The percentage of subsidy varies according to the income of each user. If it is eliminated, the rates They could double. At the same time, an increase in fixed charges was approved in April, which is already very high.
The head of Protectora made a strong defense of the Cold Zone Law: “The regime is established according to the geographical areas and temperatures of Argentina. Mendoza was not part of the Cold Zones until 2021, when it benefited from the expansion of the “It is a trust fund that is established with the contribution of all users, so it does not affect the Nation’s funds in any way,” he clarified.
“The only thing I agree with is that progress be made with the removal of subsidies for those who have a good income and can pay. In order for all of us to be able to pay the real value of the rates, there must first be a significant salary restructuring. The power purchasing power of Argentines is very deteriorated compared to the strong increases that were registered in public services. The situation of citizens throughout the country is critical enough to advance in a measure of this style,” he concluded.
