ARESEP opens public consultation for extraordinary fuel price adjustment

The Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP) has opened the public consultation for file ET-099-2026, which contains the ex officio tariff application for the extraordinary adjustment of hydrocarbon-derived fuel prices corresponding to the month of September 2026. The proposal, published in La Gaceta No. 179 on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, would bring super gasoline to ¢764 per liter at service stations. Interested parties may submit their position in favor or against until Tuesday, September 29, 2026.

The notice was issued by the General Directorate of User Attention of ARESEP, led by Gabriela Prado Rodríguez, and is published under official reference IN202601128354. The consultation corresponds to the ex officio fixing that the Regulatory Authority performs based on the information submitted by Recope in official letter RE-0047-IE-2026, and covers plant prices, prices to distributors without a fixed point, and prices to the final consumer at service stations.

ARESEP clarifies that Recope did not submit final consumer prices for distributors without a fixed point, although these could be modified if their request is approved. The adjustment is extraordinary and is processed ex officio, without an ordinary tariff request from the refinery.

Proposed prices for gasoline and diesel

• Super gasoline: ¢764 per liter for the final consumer at service stations, compared to the current ¢726.
• Plus 91 gasoline: ¢718, compared to ¢707.
• 50 ppm sulfur diesel: ¢788, compared to ¢688.
• Kerosene: ¢665, compared to ¢613.
• Jet fuel A: ¢731, compared to ¢654.
• Av-Gas: ¢1,028, compared to ¢1,016.
• Marine diesel: ¢1,043.88 per liter.
• Heavy naphtha: ¢416.77 per liter to the distributor without a fixed point.

At the Recope plant, super gasoline would go from ¢654.43 to ¢692.42 per liter and 50 ppm diesel from ¢616.61 to ¢716.88. For the distributor without a fixed point, super gasoline would rise from ¢658.17 to ¢696.16 and diesel from ¢620.35 to ¢720.62.

Liquefied gas and reference prices

The detail includes liquefied petroleum gas, whose maximum prices are billed per liter and per cylinder:

• Fixed tanks: ¢206.40 per liter for the propane-butane mix and ¢333.73 per liter for propane-rich.
• 10-pound cylinder (4.54 kg): from ¢1,757.00 to ¢2,871 for the propane-butane mix and from ¢2,986.00 to ¢4,157 for propane-rich.
• 20-pound cylinder (9.07 kg): from ¢3,510.00 to ¢5,735 for the propane-butane mix and from ¢5,964.00 to ¢8,304 for propane-rich.

Prices for the non-sporting national fishing fleet are also published, with ¢342.25 per liter for RON 91 gasoline and ¢512.00 for 50 ppm diesel, as well as variation ranges for IFO-380, Av-Gas, and Jet fuel A.

How to participate and consult the file

• Submit a signed written statement, in favor or against, including the reasons and a photocopy of the ID card.
• Send it to the official email consejero@aresep.go.cr or deliver it to the ARESEP offices, in the Turrubares building of the Multipark Office Center, Guachipelín de Escazú, San José.
• Maximum deadline: Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
• Indicate a means to receive notifications: email, fax number, or exact address.
• Legal entities: the written statement must be signed by the legal representative and accompanied by a current certification of legal standing.
• Email submissions: signed with a digital signature or scanned, with a maximum size of 10.5 megabytes.
• Case file consultation: at the ARESEP facilities from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or at www.aresep.go.cr.
• Advisories: User Counselor, consejero@aresep.go.cr and the toll-free line 8000 273737.

The adjustment defines how much drivers and companies will pay per liter of fuel, so the public consultation is the users’ only opportunity to object to the figures before ARESEP sets the final prices. An increase of ¢38 in super gasoline and ¢100 in 50 ppm diesel would be immediately transferred to the cost of transportation and consumer goods.

Source: La Gaceta No. 179, Wednesday, September 23, 2026, Decentralized Institutions, p. 49 (official reference: IN202601128354).