The proliferation of gas stations It is evident in various parts of the country. The seasons increase, without observing greater distances between them, which has caught the attention of consumers. For example, in Guayas, the residents of the urbanizations located in León Febres-Cordero avenue, La Aurora sector, Daule canton, They have commented that a new gas station was recently inaugurated, close to three others.
In addition, those who pass through Samborondón avenue every day have seen a new one that is less than three months old and one more on the route to Ciudad Celeste. Additionally, on the avenue Narcisa de Jesús, known as the terrestrial terminal highway-Pascuales, another station was inaugurated. It is also close to an existing one. On the road to the coast, the construction of fuel service stations is also reported.
At the end of November, the residents of Puerto Azul opposed the construction of a new gas station, and the Municipality of Guayaquil detained it, at least until it is socialized with the community.
Construction of a gas station in the Puerto Azul area is stopped
In the central sierra area It has also seen the creation of new gas stations. Francisco Silva, member of the Chamber of Distributors of Fuel Derivativescomments that in the Cotopaxi sector only this year four service stations have been opened on the E 35.
In the country, until December 31, 2021 there were 1,158 gas stations and as of December 23, 2022 the number has increased to 1,190, according to data from the Regulation and Control Agency (ARC). This is an increase of 32 stations.
There would be several reasons for the increase in gas stations. The main one is that A few days before the end of the government of Lenín Moreno, several restrictions that existed in the regulations of the Regulation and Control Agency were eliminated, comments Oswaldo Erazo, executive director of the Chamber of Distributors of Fuel Derivatives. Before that there was, he says, safety distance parameters from one station to another or to a polyduct or electrical outlet. However, now only market demand is set as a parameter. “It is not understood why they changed that resolution,” he says.
According to Erazo, the result is that the market criterion now prevails, that is, demand. “Now it’s easier to get a service station,” he says. For him, 3% growth in the number of stations in a market that in 2022 has a sales volume in gallons similar to 2019 is important.
Remember that when the regulations were changed, the Chamber made claims. Shows an official letter sent by the Chamber of Distributors, on July 12, 2022, addressed to Xavier Ugolotti Villagómez, executive director of the Agency for the Regulation and Control of Energy and Non-Renewable Natural Resources. In this one rejected Resolutions No. ARCERNNR-010/2020 and ARCERNNR-009-2021.
In their letter, they indicate that it has caused them deep surprise that in just the last twenty months they have discovered the advisability of carrying out two regulatory reforms with the fundamental objective of eliminating two basic requirements such as “the minimum distances of location and location on the one hand, and on the other, they are unaware of the need to confirm as a minimum requirement that there is at least one demand and market study”.
this would be trampling the right to work regularly to those establishments that in their opportunity complied with the provisions of the law. In this sense, the authority was asked to repeal the aforementioned resolutions and to process a new resolution stating the safety distances as already stated in Resolution No. 003-002-EXTRAORDINARY DIRECTORY-ARCH-2018.
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In the same way, Silva explains that the increase in gas stations effectively divides even more the low profits that the stations have at the moment. According to Silva, the operational situation of the stations is complex. they have the same marketing margin for 20 years. In addition, they must pay high patents that are calculated around the turn of the business. This has increased due to the price of fuels, but not due to returns. they must pay for permits, high salaries, IESS, among others. It also considers a change in rules that affect competitiveness, since the oldest gas stations always complied with the regulations. Among them, issues as basic as avoiding placing a gas station on a curve, to avoid accidents at the time of entry or exit of vehicles. Now this restriction no longer exists.
When consulted How to explain that there is, on the one hand, this complex situation of running a business -as the union leaders maintain- and instead there is an evident investment activity in the gas stations, Silva makes two observations. He believes that in the case of large retailers it is justified, because due to economies of scale and having more presence, it is convenient for them to have more points and thus lower costs.
In any case, he says, it is also true that in certain cases it has been seen that people have built gas stations to end up selling them in a short time, precisely because the business is not profitable. For Silva, in these cases, The appearance of the new service stations is not coherent, since the return on investment, which is approximately 1.6%, is much less than what they could obtain in a bank because they can pay 8%. “We don’t understand that logic.”
This situation also It contrasts with certain sectors in which there are no gas station services, as they are remote sites. The problem is that in remote places the costs do not cover the operation either and this is aggravated by freight, which is more expensive in proportion to the distance and must be assumed by the gas station. Silva gives the example of the Zumbahua station, which disappeared due to lack of return. Now this tourist area is depleted, he says. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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