Although it had been officially announced last month when the gas rate throughout the country rose for the first time in the year, the national government finally chose not to apply the second round of the increase that should have been charged this Wednesday, May 1. In this note, we explain What does the suspended raise imply? and How much can this month’s tickets go for? in which the heaters are already at full power.
As indicated, to At the end of March, the National Gas Regulatory Entity (Enargas) published the first increase of the year for natural gas service through networks throughout the country. It was a increase of several items that make up the bills at the same time, and that was why the increase at the end of the bills was 270 to 430% for residential users and almost 1000% for commercial users and industrial in Patagonia.
Specifically, they increased On the one hand, the amount received by the carriers trunks, in this case Transportadora Gas del Sur (TGS) and the distributors, which in Patagonia is Camuzzi. But At the same time, subsidies were partially and totally withdrawn that the gas was still on. Being the total reduction for residential users in the highest income segment (N1) and for businesses and industries.
But also, Unlike the rest of the country, in Patagonia there was what could be said was a third increase. In reality it is about the elimination of a 2014 decree that reduced the price of gas by 50% as a product on invoices, for all users in Patagonia, including businesses and industries.
That discount was practically identical to the benefit of Patagonian Zone (Cold Zone for the rest of the country) that will continue to apply but only applies to residential users.
What is the postponed increase about?
This Wednesday On May 1, contributions to distributors and transporters were to increase againin what was going to be the first inflation update, which promised to have a incidence of about 5% at the end of the ballots of all types of users. This increase was not published by Enargas, therefore, until it is published, it will not be valid.
But also, and much more important in impact, the past Labor Day was to increase the price of gas as a product againthe key factor for Patagonian users not only due to high consumption but also because of its weight at the end of the tickets.
The price was set to go from $2.98 per million BTU to $4.50a jump that would imply an increase in the final of the ballots almost 190% but that for users in the highest segment, the N1 and for businesses and industries. This was not published by Enargas either, so it is notor it may come into force, at least, this month.
The government’s decision to postpone these increases has to do with the impact on inflation of the rate increase, the same thing that happened with fuels where the update of taxes was postponed for a month – until June 1.
May ballots will arrive salty
But Despite this, the May ballots will surprise more than oneespecially in the southern provinces where the heaters were turned on a long time ago, but where there are many homes that have not yet received the April bill, with the first tariff impact.
Specific, The tickets for this month for a typical family from Neuquén will range from 19,000 to 45,000 pesos, depending on the group they are in in the segmentation. In detail, if we take a model user of the R31 category, the most common, and consider a consumption of about 430 cubic meters during May, the bills could reach 19,000 pesos for a family from the lowest segment, in N2.
With the same type of consumption and category, but in the group of intermediate segmentation, in N3, invoices would reach 25,500 pesos in May. While if the family is in the segmentation group N1, the tickets will exceed 45,000 pesos in the month.
This, it is worth noting, is the consumption only for the month of May, but The tickets arrive bimonthly. Therefore, following the examples given, if families receive April and May together (this varies for each user depending on the date of their registration), the total for the two-month period will go to the case of R31 users, the most common in the zone, at values of for the lowest group at 35,000 pesos, 50,000 pesos for the intermediate and 76,000 pesos for the highest income group.
