The national government ordered a new increase in gas and electricity bills for businesses, industries and homes that, unlike previous increases, will be used entirely to reduce spending on subsidies.
The Ministry of Energy also limited the maximum subsidized consumption that low- and medium-income households will have, while continuing to eliminate State aid to high-income or high-net-worth families. This will translate retroactively to June 1 into an increase that exceeds 156% and in some cases will even be above 200%.
In all cases, furthermore, the increases are cumulative in relation to the rates that were already paid previously. In both electricity and gas, there were adjustments of between 300% to 400%, mainly for higher-income households.
Through four resolutions published this Wednesday in the Official Gazette, Energy simplified the gas and electricity tariff scheme that governed the three levels of segmented households – high (N1), low (N2) and medium income (N3) -. In addition, it distributed the cost of the subsidy cut among all users, unlike what it had done in previous months, when it left increases for low- and middle-income residential users unchanged.
As detailed by the Ministry of Energy, the average value of final gas bills for a N1 user with an average consumption of 149 m3 per month will go from $25,756 to $28,142 (9%); for an N2, with an average consumption of 159 m3, it will go from $15,638 to $20,797 (33%), and for an N3, with an average consumption of 171 m3, it will go from $24,465 to $26,865 (10%).
Regarding electricity, if average residential consumption of 260 kWh per month is considered, the average value of the final bills for an N1 will go from $24,710 to $30,355 (23%); for N2, from $6,295 to $12,545 (100%), and for N3, from $6,585 to $16,850 (156%).
Regarding gas, it was established that users will pay an average price of US$3.29 per million BTU. Until May, businesses, industries and high-income users paid US$2.94.
For low-income (N2) and medium-income (N3) users, who were paying US$0.78 and US$1.16, respectively, the new reference price will also be US$3.29, although it will be subsidized up to a certain limit of consumption. The N2 will pay 36% of the reference value and the N3, 45%; that is, US$1.18 and US$1.81. This is equivalent to a bonus of 64% and 55%, respectively.
As transportation and distribution rates remain unchanged, the impact of the increase will be around 6% for all users, which accumulates to the more than 400% applied in April.
It should be remembered that users who registered in the Registry of Access to Energy Subsidies (RASE) to request the subsidy do not need to register again. Those who have not done so, even if they receive assistance, will be excluded within a period of 60 days.
It is important to understand that the strong increases in the first quarter, around 350%, occurred in two components of the bill: energy transportation and distribution. (DIB)
