The President of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, and the Ministers of Environment and Energy (MINAE), Carlos Manuel Rodríguez and of Health, Daniel Salas, signed Decree No. 42497-MINAE-S that promulgates a new regulation aiming to simplify procedures and reduce the deadlines for the authorization for the operation of fuel self-consumption tanks, which various industries and establishments need in the country.
The Deputy Minister of Energy, Rolando Castro, explained that the measure – published this past Friday in the official newspaper La Gaceta – also seeks to help entities such as hospitals, restaurants, factories, transportation and construction companies, which are frequent users of this type of tanks, have a digital and expedited procedure for their formalization.
“In addition, it aims to have better control and strict safety protocols, by the authorities in the operation of these devices and the dealers in charge of supplying fuel to them, so that their operation is in accordance with technical and legal standards. corresponding and especially those related to the prevention of emergencies “, detailed the official.
Diego Sojo Obando, Director of the General Directorate of Transportation and Marketing of Fuel (DGTCC) indicated that applicants must fill out a digital form, provide the documentation that is requested, related to the prior authorizations of the municipal patent and sanitary operating permit and technical information of the tank including a report from a competent engineer or Fire Department on the safety of the operation of the tank.
“If the review of the information provided is compliant, authorization will be granted within a maximum period of one month and it will be incorporated into the digital register of self-consumption tanks that will be for public consultation,” explained Sojo, after informing that once this decree enters into force, 6 months are granted for natural or legal persons who use fuel self-consumption tanks to proceed with the registration of their tanks.
Said registration can be made through the form that can be found on the MINAE website: https://minae.go.cr/ and on the blog of the General Directorate of Transportation and Marketing of Fuel (DGTCC): https://direcciondecombustiblesminaecr.blogspot.com/
Finally, Rodríguez indicated that all tanks must be authorized, regardless of their capacity, “the important thing is that they are stationary, that is to say, be installed in a fixed place and be loaded in the same place,” he concluded.
The regulation that up to now applied to fuel self-consumption tanks dates from 2002 and is the same that regulates the granting of concessions for the supply of fuels in service stations, it also establishes several stages for their authorization so that its processing took even more than a year.
This regulation is the first of a process to modernize the regulation of the fuel supply chain carried out by the DGTCC. It is part of the efforts made with a vision of regulatory improvement and simplification of procedures, in order to reactivate the economy as established in Law 8220 and in Presidential Directive 85.
