In the first quarter of 2021 fuel sales in the country have shown an upward trend, as in January 59.6 million gallons were demanded, in February the figure rose to 65.3 million gallons and in March it climbed to 75.7 million gallons.
The accumulated figures show that during the first quarter of the year, 201 million gallons of fuel were sold in the Panamanian market, a figure that is 20% lower than that reported in the same period of 2020.
The Municipal Water Company of the capital of the country tenders the supply of fuel, consisting of 90 thousand gallons of regular gasoline and 80 thousand gallons of diesel, to be delivered within 18 months.
The Attorney General's Office of the Dominican Republic tenders the supply of gasoline, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas, which will be used by the institution's fleet of vehicles and its dependencies.
In the first days of March of this year, the highest prices were reported in the Dominican Republic, while the lowest were registered in the Panamanian capital.
The regional report on average prices to the final consumer of gasoline, diesel and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in Central America, effective for the week of February 27 to March 7, 2021, was made based on official prices and monitoring or surveys carried out by the different General Directorates of Hydrocarbons or equivalent, in the capital of each Central American country.
Following the increase in fuel prices in Guatemala of more than 20% between January and March, local authorities forecast that this behavior will continue during the following weeks.
Due to the economic crisis generated by the Covid-19 outbreak, fuel consumption plummeted in the Guatemalan market during 2020 and fuel prices fell to historic lows.
Because the price of fuels in Nicaragua has increased consecutively during the last 18 weeks, companies dedicated to provide cargo services announce that rates could increase between 5% and 10%.
During 2020 the price of hydrocarbons was considerably reduced, but currently in the international market the price of a barrel of oil exceeds $60, which is similar to the amount reported prior to the covid-19 pandemic.
In the Dominican Republic different government institutions are holding public tenders to purchase fuels, for an estimated global amount of close to $5 million.
In Guatemala, Chevron S.A. plans to invest in the expansion of the capacity of its hydrocarbon storage plant, which is located in the municipality of Puerto Barrios, Izabal.
According to the interactive platform "Construction in Central America" of CentralAmericaData's Trade Intelligence area, Chevron Guatemala S.A., submitted to the Ministry of Environment the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to develop the project called "Expansion of fuel terminal storage capacity of Puerto Barrios."
Since the pilot plan to test the efficiency of ethanol use in gasoline in Guatemala has yielded the first positive results, the authorities plan to present a bill to regulate its use in the first quarter of 2021.
In 2014 and 2015 a pilot plan was already carried out in Guatemala, which will be resumed for 10 weeks, a period in which tests will be carried out to mix 5% to 10% ethanol, in the different gasoline that are consumed locally.
A presidential decree gives the National Energy Secretariat the power to regulate maximum retail prices for 91 and 95 octane gasoline and low-sulfur diesel.
The regulation of maximum prices will be in effect for a six-month period, which may be extended, according to Executive Decree No. 474 of June 10, 2020 published in the Official Journal.