Butane prices, like electricity, have almost doubled, but are now frozen for the next year

[Janet]

Like electricity, butane gas bottle prices only ever seem to go up, and like electricity, this "poor man's energy" has almost doubled over the past five years: the above chart from consumer association OCU (Organización de consumidores y usuarios) shows the steep rise. In 2010 I posted how a bottle cost €12.79, the legal maximum that had just been set by the Ministerio de Industria. That legal maximum is now €17.50, a price that has been frozen until March next year.

Good news for the moment, but Industria acknowledges that this price does not cover production and distribution, and the OCU believes that after March 2015, further "large" rises are inevitable. The organization expects that beyond that point, a new "liberalized" system will be introduced, and is demanding that any government calculations are transparent, fair, and not subject to manipulation by an industry not known for openness in competitive practices. JA