VIANEY PICHARDO
The News
As of the first of April, the Energy Secretariat (Sener) will grant permissions to import gasoline and diesel to any interested party that fulfils the legal provisions applicable before the first of January 2017.
In an announcement, valid as of this Wednesday and published in the Official Journal of the Federation, it was announced that the provision included various products such as crude petroleum oil, gasoline for planes, kerosene, among others.
This measure will incentive free competition, eliminating restrictions present in the current supply model. It will also allow establishing conditions to offer consumers access to prices beneath the maximum, particularly in border areas and other places with bellow-average logistical costs.
Additionally, there will be graters incentives for investment in transport infrastructure and storage as of 2016, leading to greater energy security, efficient supply of fuels and purveyance.
The Sener was confident that the new permissions will allow a full opening to the market by 2018 and more service stations.
Ante el adelanto en la liberalización de importaciones de combustible, gasolineros del país aún no tienen cierto cuándo y cuánto será el porcentaje de descuento para el consumidor final, pues aún faltan establecer las condiciones de este mercado.
As the liberalisation of fuel importation advances, gas station owners do not yet know how much the discount for consumers will amount to.
Roberto Díaz De León, National Counselor of the National Organization of Fuel Vendors (Onexpo), stated that as the country’s infrastructure to store and distribute fuel “is not the best”, what is invested in importation does not by itself allow to determine what the discount will amount to for the consumer.
“The tendency is indeed one of decreasing prices, however it is not yet clear in what percentage or proportion there will be a benefit, because to this day the infrastructure in Mexico is not the best, and this can elevate logistical costs”, he specified.
Due to this, the first consequence of the announcement will be the arrival of great investment to improve infrastructure, leading to new vendors and a true gasoline market.
Roberto Díaz De León concluded that once this market is strengthened Mexicans will obtain a variety of gas stations brands, as well as different types of fuel: “the will be a commercialisation not only of gasolines and diesel, but also biofuel, natural gas for vehicles. among other options”, he concluded.
