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Bolivia orders temporary intervention of state oil company amid fuel crisis Image: AFP
🇲🇽 Mexico /Energy & Infrastructure

Bolivia orders temporary intervention of state oil company amid fuel crisis

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Documents & data Approved/passed
  • Bolivia ordered an extraordinary intervention at state oil company YPFB for 180 days, with a possible one-time 90-day extension.
  • The measure seeks to examine fuel import and distribution logistics and assess decisions that may have affected supplies.
  • Fuel shortages have produced long queues, while Bolivia imports 60% of its gasoline and 95% of its diesel.

Bolivia has ordered an extraordinary and temporary intervention at its state oil company, Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos, as fuel shortages continue to disrupt daily life.

Decree 5697, published in the Official Gazette, says the intervention will protect state interests and restore the company’s operational and administrative efficiency. It will last 180 calendar days and may be extended once, for an additional 90 days.

extraordinary

— Bolivian government decreeThe decree describes the intervention as extraordinary.

The intervention will not dissolve YPFB or change its legal status. Instead, an Extraordinary State Intervention Commission will review the company’s operations and decisions. The commission will include the ministers responsible for economy and public finance, sustainable production, hydrocarbons and energy, and public works, services and housing, along with the vice minister for transparency.

temporary

— Bolivian government decreeThe decree defines the intervention as temporary and sets its initial duration.

The commission is tasked with gathering reliable information on the import and distribution chain for fuel, determining volumes supplied to service stations and other sellers, and evaluating decisions that may have affected availability. It must then provide recommendations and regular reports to the president.

Liquid-fuel supplies have been irregular since 2024, leaving drivers waiting for hours or days at petrol stations. Bolivia imports 60% of the gasoline and 95% of the diesel it consumes, spending about $90 million a week. Users also reported vehicle problems earlier this year, which they attributed to poor gasoline quality. YPFB confirmed that rubber and manganese residues had been found in storage tanks and said the contamination supposedly created an imbalance in the fuel.

recover the efficiency of its operational management

— Bolivian government decreeThe stated purpose of the intervention is to restore YPFB’s efficiency.
About this summary

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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