Gas distributors from at least five Brazilian states (Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Ceará, Sergipe and Alagoas) are contesting in court the 50% increase suggested by Petrobras for cooking, industrial and CNG gas. The Holy Spirit filed an injunction to prevent the discharge, but the request was denied.
A CNN contacted Petrobras to question the rise in prices and the movement of companies in court. In a statement, the state-owned company only said that it would not comment on judicial issues in this case.
Petrobras even suggested, initially, an adjustment of up to 200% in prices with the justification of the rise in the dollar and the value of a barrel of oil, but the Brazilian Association of Pipeline Gas Distributors (Abegás) reported that it negotiated a less impactful increase , of 50%, and that Petrobras agreed with the value. The new price would start to take effect at the turn of the year in the dollar rate.
The Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj) and Naturgy (a gas distribution company in RJ) will enter this Tuesday (28) with lawsuits in court for the readjustment for the state’s distributors.
In a statement, Naturgy informed that Petrobras justified the increase due to the rise in gas prices on the international market, the variation in Brent and the dollar.
Faced with the impasse, Abegás joined the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (Cade), a federal agency, linked to the Ministry of Justice, with a request for precautionary measure to make the readjustment unfeasible and maintain the current price, until they are defined by the National Agency of Petroleum (ANP) infrastructure issues that make it possible to offer the product to distributors.
The Application made by Abegás to Cade also has the objective of asking the autarchy to investigate possible practices of abuse of economic power and harmful to free competition by Petrobras.
The president of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro, André Ceciliano (PT), told the CNN that the justification for Petrobras’ readjustment is legally based on the Gas Law, approved in May this year and that it intends to integrate the gas market in Brazil. Ceciliano claims, however, that the National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANP) has not yet regulated the implementation of this law.
The government of São Paulo, through the Infrastructure and Environment secretariat, informed that issues related to the price of gas are still being discussed and evaluated for legal purposes.
The government of Rio de Janeiro, through the State Attorney General, confirmed that it will file a lawsuit against Petrobras, against the gas readjustment, but declined to comment on the date of the filing.
The distributors that will file lawsuits against Petrobras are ALGÁS (Alagoas), GasBrasiliano (São Paulo), Naturgy (Rio de Janeiro), Sergas (Sergipe) and CEGÁS (Ceará).
Reference: CNN Brasil
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