The agency’s board is planning a testing period that should be approved next Friday (June 12)
The collegial board of the (National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels) should analyze next Friday (June 12, 2026) a pilot project that will allow distributors to fill gas cylinders from other brands.
The project creates a new type of business, called “advanced filling installation”, which will be authorized to fill containers from other companies, a practice currently prohibited by the agency’s regulations.
According to the Poder360these structures will have a lower volume capacity than large distributors and will be authorized to fill, seal, envelope and sell fully loaded cylinders. Fractional recharge, however, will continue to be vetoed and will not be analyzed by the board.
The pilot paves the way for new distributors to enter the market and can reduce the final price of gas, as containers will no longer travel long distances to filling points.
Although the objective of the measure is to increase competition, the ANP will require strict criteria to be met by companies interested in the new model. One of the requirements will be a minimum share capital of R$21 million. Advanced bottling facilities may only use gas purchased from distributors authorized by the agency and must also comply with a series of traceability requirements.
One of the main changes will be the implementation of an electronic tracking system by serial number and a centralized database at the ANP. The proposal is to allow inspectors and consumers to consult information about the cylinder via cell phone. Currently, inspection is carried out based on numbered plastic labels and checking invoices.
The agency’s assessment is that the modernization of the model will be sufficient to prevent organized crime from entering the cooking gas distribution chain. The advancement of factions presented by companies and against the relaxation of rules.
The regulator’s objective is to verify whether there will be demand for the new model. The agency also intends to approve mechanisms that allow the project to be suspended or terminated if implementation flaws are identified.
Carrying out pilot projects is a common practice among regulatory agencies. The model allows you to temporarily test a new rule or technology before its definitive adoption across the entire regulated sector.
After the completion of the pilot, the proposal will still be submitted to a public hearing and, subsequently, to public consultation. Once these steps are completed, the ANP board will once again analyze the definitive adoption of the model.
ANP DISCUSSES CHANGES IN THE SECTOR
The review of cooking gas distribution rules began to be debated by the agency’s board of directors on May 29.
The topic was removed from the agenda after a request for a review by the director-rapporteur of the process, Daniel Maia. Directors Pietro Mendes, Fernando Moura and Symone Araújo also defended more time for analysis. The discussion will be resumed at the collegiate meeting this Friday (June 12).
Since the request for review, the directors of the ANP have been discussing the preparation of a text based on a draft regulation presented by the SDL (Superintendency of Distribution and Logistics). Among the main points are the creation of a tracking system and a new regulated bottling agent, a measure defended by smaller distributors.
Under current rules, distributors can only fill cylinders from their own brands. The current model also prohibits fractionation — the supply process with partial quantities, which allows consumers to purchase less than the traditional 13 kg.
Smaller resellers and distributors claim that the system reduces competition and makes operation more expensive due to the long distances to filling points.
DEBATE DIVIDES SECTOR
The postponement of the discussion took place after the government’s decision to block changes to gas sales rules. In recent weeks, the Ministry of Mines and Energy and other members of the Planalto pressed to prevent the review from progressing within the agency’s board of directors.
Defenders of flexibility claim that the measure reduces the concentration of the distribution market and can make the product cheaper for the end consumer. Currently, the segment is dominated by 5 large distributors, responsible for more than 90% of sales.
Critics of the proposal claim that the flexibility threatens the safety of cylinders, increases the risk of fraud and opens up space for organized crime, which controls the gas supply in several regions of the country.
The government is also against the measure as it assesses that the changes make it difficult, which prohibits fractional sales and the use of unbranded cylinders.
which established the program, determines that cylinders are sold sealed and fully charged, accompanied by an inviolability seal to prevent fraud.
