The government has no budget to compensate fuel suppliers who "must" close their establishments (pumps) due to have been erected in inappropriate places.

These are fuel pumps that pose a danger to human health and life because they are close to homes, for example under buildings.

The gasoline developments on these sites cannot be compulsorily removed because Article 5 of Ministerial Order 176/2014, which prohibits their construction in sensitive areas, was approved after they were built.

Quoted by the newspaper NewsThe National Director of Hydrocarbons and Fuels at the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, Moisés Paulino, explained that this regulatory protection makes it difficult to remove pumps from under buildings and, at the same time, the law does not observe the principle of retroactivity.

He said that in the talks between the government and the petrol stations, the petrol stations demanded compensation and new spaces. The government has no money for compensation and the municipality has no space to allocate.

Faced with this dilemma, Paulino said that the "death" of these developments will be gradual, as the government is no longer issuing licenses for new units or refurbishing existing ones.