Piped gas will have an adjustment of up to 25% in SP; see the rates

Piped gas tariffs will go up in the state of São Paulo this Friday (10). The readjustment was announced by Arsesp (Public Services Regulatory Agency of the State of São Paulo) this Thursday (9) and published in the Official Gazette of the State of São Paulo, and applies to all consumers served by Comgás and GasBrasiliano.

The increase in tariffs in the case of Comgás ranges from 15.5% to 22.3%. The lowest percentage of adjustment will be applied to residential consumer units for consumption of up to five cubic meters. The biggest will be for those who supply with CNG (Natural Gas for Vehicles).

In the case of GasBrasiliano, the high percentage will vary from 9.2% to 24.8%. The smallest adjustment will be for CNG and the largest for residential customers who consume volumes of up to ten cubic meters per month and up to 30 cubic meters per month.

According to Arsesp, the increase in GasBrasiliano’s tariff meets the annual adjustment provided for in the contract. For Comgás, what happens this December is the transfer of the quarterly price of gas, according to the values ​​of purchase of fuel from Petrobras, which has been raising its tariffs frequently.

For those served by Comgás, the consumption rate of up to five cubic meters per month will rise from BRL 38.81, in November, to BRL 44.83, 15.5% more, according to the table published by Arsesp. In the case of the second range of residential consumption, up to ten cubic meters per month, the value will go from R$ 69.03 to R$ 81.23, an increase of 17.7%.

At GasBrasiliano, customers who consume up to six cubic meters of gas per month will see the rate rise from R$ 42.33 to R$ 52.78, an increase of 24.7%. For the second range, up to ten cubic meters per month, the rate will rise from R$ 69.79, in November, to R$ 87.08, in December, a 24.8% readjustment.

GasBrasiliano operates in the northern region of the state of São Paulo, which covers the municipalities of Araraquara, São Carlos, Porto Ferreira, Araçatuba, Marília, Ribeirão Preto and Bauru, among others. Comgás, on the other hand, operates in 94 municipalities, serving 2.1 million consumers, according to the company.

According to Arsesp, the increase meets what is foreseen in the contracts and reaches residential, commercial, industrial consumers and those who use gas stations to supply CNG.

The agency also informs that, as a way of trying to mitigate the rise to consumers, the ICMS (Tax on Operations related to the Circulation of Goods and on Interstate and Intermunicipal Transport and Communication Services Provisions) was excluded from the calculation basis of the PIS/Pasep and Cofins, which reduced the final readjustment by around 2%.

See Comgás rates, according to Arsesp (values ​​in R$)

See GasBrasiliano’s rates, according to Arsesp (values ​​in R$)

Price in the energy sector is a challenge

The readjustment of the values ​​of piped gas tariffs in São Paulo occurs in two stages per year, according to the concessionaire and the concession contracts signed. In May, the prices of Comgás and Naturgy had an increase, which was up to 40%. Now, there is the adjustment of GasBrasiliano.

The rise in fuel and other prices in the energy sector is one of the biggest challenges for the government of Jair Bolsanaro (no party), which, in the election, promised a shock of cheap energy throughout the country. In line with the international price of fuels, Petrobras has been making constant increases in prices, putting a lot of pressure on the pockets of the final consumer.

In 2022, new readjustments will come. The state-owned company, which supplies most of the national market, has already warned distributors and large consumers with contracts expiring at the end of this year that there will be no renewal and will only be able to supply fuel for twice the price.

This movement is relevant and will have an impact on the economy in an election year because, as of January, 70% of the market will be without a contract, according to the account of the distributors.