QCOSTARICA – On Friday, the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (ARESEP) – regulating authority – approved a sharp increase in fuel prices: ¢42 colones per liter of super, ¢38 for regular and ¢59 for diesel.
The approval was on the request made by the Refinadora Costarricense de Petroleo (RECOPE) – Costa Rica’s refinery that refines nothing – on April 8.
Come before the end of next week, the price of a liter of super gasoline will go from the current ¢909 to ¢951, regular from ¢889 to ¢927 and diesel from ¢845 to 904.
The changes go come into effect the day after their publication in the Official Gazette, within five business days of Friday’s approval.
Mario Mora, Mayor of Energy of ARESEP, explained on Radio Monumental, that the war in Ukraine and the exchange rate continue to push up fuel prices.
So far in 2022, the price of super gasoline has increased ¢237, tegular ¢230, and diesel ¢293.
In January, a liter of super went for ¢714, regular ¢697, and diesel ¢611, according to the Aresep official website.
Those who will benefit from Friday’s approval are consumers of natural gas, as the cost of a 25 lb tank (common tank used in Costa Rican kitchens) will drop from ¢11,230 to ¢10,859.
Costa Rica continues with the highest fuel prices in Central America, and according to experts, are not expected to decline in the coming months.