The city of Necochea, along with other municipalities in the province of Buenos Aires, once again benefits from the Cold Zone gas subsidy, thanks to the restitution of the benefit in the Bases Bill being discussed in the Senate.
The Senate has reincorporated the subsidy in the gas rate under the Cold Zone Regime, a benefit that had previously been eliminated in the Deputies. This regime establishes discounts on gas consumption for regions with cold climates, benefiting numerous localities that were not initially included.
The Bases Law project, currently being processed in the Senate, empowers the Executive Branch to modify or eliminate trust funds, but includes an exception for the Cold Zone Regime fund, established by Law 25,565. This fund, created by article 75 of the National Budget Law of 2002, is financed by 5.4% of the bills of all residential users and offers discounts of 30% to 50% on gas rates.
Originally, the benefit was intended for residential users in Patagonia, La Pampa, the city of Carmen de Patagones (province of Buenos Aires) and the Department of Malargüe in Mendoza. Later, in 2003, it was expanded to certain departments of San Juan, La Rioja, Catamarca, Salta and Jujuy, reaching 800 thousand users.
With the approval of Law 27,637 in 2021, the subsidy was extended even further, including localities of Mendoza, San Juan, San Luis, Salta, Córdoba, La Rioja, Tucumán, and Catamarca, as well as 50 municipalities in the province of Buenos Aires , including Mar del Plata, benefiting more than 3 million homes.
In Mar del Plata, more than 260,000 homes are now covered by this benefit, which ensures significant discounts on their gas bills. The reincorporation of the subsidy in the Base Law project guarantees that families in Necochea and other locations with cold climates continue to receive the necessary support to face gas costs during the winter.
