Paz Reactivates Cochabamba and Santa Cruz Refineries, Authorizes Crude Imports to Lift Diesel Output

President Paz's cabinet approved Supreme Decree 5701, exceptionally authorizing YPFB's refining subsidiary YPFB Refinación S.A. to import crude oil and process it at the Gualberto Villarroel refinery in Cochabamba and Guillermo Elder Bell refinery in Santa Cruz, which Paz visited Sept. 9 to relaunch fuel production. The government said importing roughly 10,000 barrels of crude per day would lift domestic gasoline production from 27% to 40% of demand and diesel from 5% to 8% within a year, with jet fuel rising from 81% to 100%. The measure follows weeks of hours-long lines to load diesel and gasoline across La Paz, Santa Cruz, and Cochabamba that persisted into early September despite the YPFB intervention (Decree 5697, Sept. 2).