This Tuesday, the Federal Justice granted the request for protection presented by the province of Santa Cruz, through the State Prosecutor’s Officeto stop excessive increases in gas rates.
The Federal Court of Río Gallegos granted the measure that contemplates the residential users of the “departments Lake Argentino, Corpen Aike and Güer Aike” from Santa Cruz. The judicial protection orders the suspension of the increases provided for by Resolutions No. 41/2024 of the Secretary of Energy of the Nation and 122/2024 and 224/2024 of the Enargas by from April 2, 2024 for a period of 6 months.
Furthermore, order the National Gas Regulatory Entity (ENARGAS) “immediately communicate this precautionary measure to the distribution or sub-distribution companies.” Along these lines, it urges that companies “refrain from applying increases of more than 300% compared to the same billing period of the previous year.”
According to the resolution signed by the federal judge Claudio Vazquezto which he had access The Southern Opinion, This percentage is “prudently reasonable to provisionally balance the competing interests and taking into account the existing inflationary indices, which are public and well-known.”
In the case of having already paid increases greater than the figures provided as a ceiling, companies must “compensate for the surplus in the billing of the immediate and subsequent periods.”
Finally, the judge declared the “incompetence of the Federal Court of Río Gallegos to continue hearing this case” and sent the file to the Federal Court of Caleta Olivia to unify it with the collective protection presented in that jurisdiction.
