Rio de Janeiro court suspends Agenersa sanctions on Naturgy's CEG gas distributors

The 2ª Vara da Fazenda Pública da Comarca da Capital in Rio de Janeiro granted a partial injunction in favour of CEG and CEG Rio, the Naturgy‑owned gas distributors. The ruling suspends the fines imposed by the state regulator Agenersa and bars the agency from initiating new processes, imposing new penalties, or forcing migration of customers consuming less than 100,000 m³ per day to the free‑gas market. Judge Georgia Vasconcellos also ordered the judicial deposit of the previously levied fines.

The dispute stems from Agenersa’s administrative decision that lowered the minimum consumption required for free‑market classification from 100,000 m³/day to 10,000 m³/day. The distributors argue the change should have been made through state legislation and a concession contract amendment, claiming it creates financial imbalance, reduces revenue, and could raise tariffs for remaining captive customers. The court cited earlier rulings that highlighted the complexity of opening the free gas market and the need to adjust supply contracts with Petrobras. The injunction affects pending migrations involving large industrial users such as CSN and Braskem.