Buenos Aires Province judge suspends electricity tariff hikes

A judge in Bahía Blanca has ordered the suspension of recent electricity tariff increases in the interior and La Plata regions of Buenos Aires Province. The ruling, issued by Judge Agustín López Cóppola following a petition by Ombudsman Guido Lorenzino, mandates that distributors revert to the previous tariff structure effective August 1.

The suspension targets increases authorized by Resolution 585/2026, signed by Governor Axel Kicillof and Minister Gabriel Katopodis. The court ruled that the mandatory, though non-binding, public hearings required by law were not conducted before the hikes were implemented.

The injunction affects users served by EDELAP, EDES, EDEA, and EDEN, though it does not include service cooperatives. Furthermore, the ruling stipulates that any amounts collected under the new rates must be credited to users as a balance in favor on their subsequent invoices.