ARESEP opens public consultation to regulate electric vehicle charging

The Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP) has opened a public consultation on two ex officio regulatory analyses that seek to declare the commercialization of electric vehicle charging as a service of general interest and to nullify the T-VE tariff in the tariff schedules of all distribution companies in the country. Positions will be received until Thursday, October 8, 2026, and the notice was published in La Gaceta No. 177 on Monday, September 21, 2026, under files ET-092-2026 and ET-093-2026.

The two procedures are processed under the Law for the Promotion of Electric Charging Infrastructure and Strategies for Sustainable Mobility in Costa Rica, Law No. 10937, and the Law for the Promotion and Regulation of Distributed Energy Resources, Law No. 10086. Both notices appear in Section I of the official gazette, under Decentralized Institutions, and the call is signed by the general director of User Services, Gabriela Prado Rodríguez.

What file ET-092-2026 proposes

The ex officio regulatory analysis seeks, first, to determine that the charging commercialization service constitutes a service of general interest in accordance with Law No. 10937. Consistent with Article 2 of Law No. 10086, ARESEP proposes that this activity be subject to a regime of free price determination, with free negotiation between the service provider and the end user.

Secondly, the file proposes to nullify the T-VE tariff, currently established by resolution RE-0048-IE-2025 of October 3, 2025, and to exclude it from the current tariff schedules of the electricity distribution service of all distributors in the country. The exclusion would take effect starting the day following its publication in La Gaceta.

Tariffs applicable to charging centers: ET-093-2026

The second analysis, processed in file ET-093-2026, seeks to determine that the tariffs established in the current tariff schedules of the public electricity distribution service—and those that successively replace them—are the ones applicable for sales to charging centers in the country, in accordance with Law No. 10937.

With this, ARESEP defines which prices govern the energy that distributors sell to charging stations, while the tariff treatment of the commercialization of the service is resolved.

How to participate and deadlines

• Deadline: until Thursday, October 8, 2026.
• Methods: signed document with a photocopy of the ID card on both sides, sent to the email consejero@aresep.go.cr or submitted at the ARESEP offices, Turrubares building of the Multipark Office Center, Guachipelín de Escazú, San José, from 8:00 to 16:00.
• Legal entities: must participate through their legal representative and provide a current certification of legal standing.
• Email submissions: signed with a digital signature or scanned, with a maximum size of 10.5 megabytes.
• Files: available for consultation at the ARESEP facilities or at www.aresep.go.cr (files ET-092-2026 and ET-093-2026).
• Advisory services: User Counselor, consejero@aresep.go.cr and toll-free line 8000 273737.

Public hearing on the distribution tariff

In the same notice, ARESEP convened an in-person and virtual public hearing regarding the ex officio regulatory analysis of the tariff for the public electric energy distribution service, file ET-087-2026. The in-person session will be on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 17:00 in the ADI Hall of Nicoya, Guanacaste, and the virtual session on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 17:00 via the Zoom platform.

The decision directly affects charging station operators, electricity distributors, and electric vehicle users: if the T-VE tariff is eliminated and charging moves to a free negotiation regime, service prices will no longer be set by a tariff schedule and will be left in the hands of the provider and the end user. The consultation closes on October 8, 2026, therefore observations from interested parties must be submitted before that date.

Source: La Gaceta, No. 177 of Monday, September 21, 2026, Section I, pp. 59-60 (official references: IN202601127512 and IN202601127527).