Argentina scraps municipal permit rule for LPG filling stations
Operators will now only need to submit a sworn declaration to register in effort to boost LPG.
Argentina's Secretaría de Energía has eliminated the requirement for municipal authorization when registering filling stations that sell LPG, aiming to encourage wider adoption of the fuel across the country. Operators will now only need to submit a sworn declaration to register.
"The requirement to present municipal permits during registration procedures amounts, in practice, to a duplication of requirements and documentation, generating an administrative and bureaucratic burden for both the authorities and citizens," the ministry said in the resolution's reasoning.
The measure could spur growth in a still-tiny network: only eight LPG stations are currently authorized nationwide, according to estimates from Cegla, the Argentine chamber of LPG companies. The rule also applies to installation workshops, tank inspection and rehabilitation centers, valve and accessory repair shops, garages, parking lots, and nautical LPG operators.
Energy officials are also studying a separate fiscal stability bill for automotive LPG, national LPG director Paula Pellegrini told BAE Negocios.
Cegla president Pedro Cascales said GLPA is roughly 40% cheaper than gasoline or diesel on a calorific-equivalent basis, and though pricier than compressed natural gas (CNG) in some regions, it offers three to four times greater range.
"There's an enormous advantage in rural or suburban areas, and not just for traditional vehicles," Cascales said, noting that provinces such as Corrientes, Misiones, Formosa, Chaco and northern Santa Fe lack natural gas networks.
