In various parts of the country, gas station owners have already begun warning of gasoline shortages, in a context marked by pressure on international fuel costs, adjustments in the domestic market, and price caps on regular gasoline and diesel that have become unsustainable.
According to the column “Gasoline Shortages, Second Warning,” by journalist Atzayaelh Torres, published in El Financiero, supply problems have been reported in at least 11 states in recent weeks, with varying levels of severity and duration in each region.
States with Fuel Shortages and Storage Failures
Among the states with confirmed shortages or reports of scarcity are Aguascalientes and Zacatecas, where shortages of regular and premium gasoline have been documented, raising concerns among consumers and service stations.
In northern Mexico, Chihuahua and Ciudad Juárez are among the areas reporting distribution problems, while in Nuevo León, particularly in municipalities like Cadereyta and Santa Catarina, supply interruptions have also been recorded.
In the north-central region, Querétaro and Tula have also experienced disruptions, while the Valley of Mexico has less than three days’ worth of storage capacity, when the law requires five. In the State of Mexico, municipalities like Toluca have reported fuel shortages, as has the Azcapotzalco borough in Mexico City.
According to Torres, the system first began showing failures at storage terminals, and he recalled that last March Pemex registered 25 interruptions at its facilities, a number that increased to 34 in April.
In response, temporary measures have been implemented to meet demand, such as transferring diesel from Zapopan to Lagos de Moreno, fuel from El Castillo to Manzanillo, and diesel from Saltillo to Monclova. Meanwhile, in Reynosa, storage levels are at zero.
According to Atzayaelh Torres, one of the factors behind this pressure is the combination of controlled domestic prices and the increase in international import costs due to the crisis in the Middle East, which has reduced distributors’ operating margins.
He also points out that Mexico depends heavily on fuel imports, which makes the supply system more vulnerable to fluctuations in the global market and transportation logistics.
Added to this, according to industry leaders, is a drop in inventory levels at storage terminals and operational adjustments by Pemex, which have forced the redistribution of cargo and, in some cases, delayed deliveries.
“The numbers explain what the government avoids explaining. Magna gasoline has been capped at 24 pesos per liter for a year, without a decree to support it; diesel, fixed at 27 pesos, by a ‘voluntary’ agreement whose effects have not been measured,” the columnist emphasizes.
Source: elfinanciero
