Mexico City, Apr 15 (EFE).- The federal government on Monday revealed the average price for fuel by brand and which service stations in Mexico had the cheapest and most expensive gasoline prices.
From now, on the government will provide information on the fuel industry every Monday, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said during his daily press conference at the National Palace.
Last week, the federal government had blamed higher profit margins at fuel distributors for the increase in the price of gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
Energy Secretary Rocio Nahle said that in the country there are 12,500 gas stations divided into eight zones and announced the average prices per brand and type of fuel: regular, premium and diesel.
Among the most expensive distributors were Shell, G500, FullGas and Walmart, while PetroSeven, Arco and Gulf were the cheapest.
State-owned Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), which owns its own gas stations, is at the mid-point on the list, offering its fuel at very average prices.
Nahle also revealed a list of service stations with the highest and lowest gasoline prices nationwide.
On the list, six of the 10 most expensive gas stations were in the western state of Michoacan.
Most of the cheaper gas stations were in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, which borders Texas.
Pemex CEO Octavio Romero, for his part, said that the company sells gasoline to other competitors at a price that varies according to inflation.
However, depending on the type of fuel, some gas stations have higher prices that are above the inflation ceiling.
Lopez Obrador, the founder and leader of the leftist National Regeneration Movement (Morena), said he wanted to “clarify” that some gas stations are more expensive due to the distance between the service station and the storage terminal.
Lopez Obrador, popularly known as AMLO, said it was “very important” to establish the average corporate prices and declared that on April 22 they would announce the prices for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
When questioned by the press, AMLO said that there are operators that control hundreds of service stations, adding that the “most important thing is to avoid monopoly practices.”
On April 9, AMLO said “(the government) is keeping (its commitment) to not raising the price of fuel. However, the increases are occurring because the profit margins of the fuel distributors have gone up.”
The president called on gasoline station operators and distributors to act “responsibly” and “not abuse” consumers.
Mexico deregulated gasoline prices in 2017, ending the process in December of that year.
Before the government started deregulating fuel prices in March 2017, officials had set price hikes in the range of 14 percent to 20 percent effective on Jan. 1, a move that led to protests across Mexico.
The administration of Lopez Obrador, who took office on Dec. 1, has vowed several times to not raise the price of fuel and other essential products above the inflation rate.