A week after Petrobras announced 19% increases in natural gas sales prices for distributors, consumers who needed to fill up their car already notice the difference at the gas stations.
According to a weekly survey by the National Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANP) Price Survey Service, the average cost of a cubic meter of Natural Gas Vehicular (CNG) increased by 9.46%.
The cost, however, reaches R$ 7,290 in Angra dos Reis. The city of Costa Verde in Rio de Janeiro has the highest cost of the 363 stations surveyed.
The lowest price, however, was identified by the agency in Cuiabá. In the capital of Mato Grosso, the fuel can be found at R$ 3,179. The difference between the minimum and maximum prices reaches 129%.
According to the Brazilian Association of Piped Gas Distributors (Abegás), the adjustment, valid since May 1, does not bring benefits to the companies represented, because they do not sell natural gas.
It is an increase that occurs exclusively in the price of the gas molecule.
According to Marcelo Mendonça, director of market strategy at Abegás, the impact of the adjustment should be less felt in the states of Alagoas, Bahia, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte, where suppliers also use gas from other suppliers, in addition to Petrobras.
For him, the lack of competitiveness is the main bottleneck in prices.
“NGV remains very competitive in relation to liquid fuels and is a good thermometer for measuring market opening. Currently, Petrobras is responsible for 95% of the supply and the other suppliers share the rest. It is important to create infrastructure, to attract investments to bring a new offer”, he says.
Investment in infrastructure is the main difficulty for the expansion of the industry, because it is a costly investment. Most of the Brazilian natural gas is in the pre-salt layer, about 300 kilometers off the coast and, on average, 4,000 meters deep.
The gas pipeline is the infrastructure that brings the product to land. A high investment that has a long payback time.
For Abegás, it is necessary to implement new regulatory rules that encourage the entry of new suppliers in the market and increase competitiveness, in order to reduce prices for the consumer.
Sought, the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) has not yet commented on the criticism.
Source: CNN Brasil
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