Argentina industrial gas supply cuts prompt UIA request for emergency committee

The Argentine Industrial Union (UIA) has asked the government to convene an emergency committee, coordinated by the gas regulator ENREGE, to address acute gas supply restrictions affecting roughly 300 industrial users in Santa Fe, Córdoba and the northern provinces.

The cuts stem from a regulatory shift that now requires large consumers to buy gas directly from private marketers, exposing them to high liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices of about $20 per MMBtu—far above the $3‑4 per MMBtu they paid previously. UIA says many firms cannot absorb these costs and are seeking state subsidies.

Government officials argue that priority demand for households, schools and hospitals is fully satisfied and that overall gas availability in the system is higher than a year ago. Energy coordinator Daniel González noted that only firms that purchased LNG are experiencing the constraints.