Argentina: Fuels
Regulatory Background
Specifications for commercial fuels in Argentina are established by Resolution 1283/2006 published on September 6, 2006 and updated from time-to-time [3404]. This resolution covers automotive gasoline and diesel fuels as well as non-automotive kerosene, aviation gasoline, diesel, fuel oil and marine fuel oil.
Diesel Fuel
Resolution 1283/2006 defines three grades of diesel fuel:
- Grade 1, also known as AGRODIESEL or GASOIL AGRO, is intended mainly for agricultural equipment. While Grade 1 diesel continues to be identified for tax purposes, specifications for Grade 1 have not been included in Resolution 1283/2006 after 2016.
- Grade 2, also known as GASOIL COMUN (common diesel fuel), is intended for older diesel fueled vehicles without aftertreatment systems. Until 2024, Grade 2 diesel fuel was available with 2 different sulfur levels depending on the population density of the location where it is retailed.
- Grade 3 diesel fuel, also known as GASOIL ULTRA, is the highest quality diesel fuel and has been available from about 2006. It is intended for newer diesel fueled vehicles equipped with aftertreatment systems and that require the use of ULSD.
Among the “non-automotive” fuels specified in Resolution 1283/2016 is diesel fuel for industrial applications such as power generation.
In 2006, Resolution 1283/2006 established sulfur limits of 3000 mg/kg for Grade 1 diesel and 1500/2500 mg/kg for Grade 2. The two different sulfur limits for Grade 2 diesel are for high and low population density areas respectively. This resolution also established specifications for low sulfur (500 mg/kg) Grade 3, but supply of this fuel was initially voluntary and scheduled to be mandated starting in 2008 while its sulfur limit would transition to 10 mg/kg by 2011. Resolution 1283/2006 also scheduled sulfur reductions for Grade 1 and Grade 2 fuels. The sulfur reduction schedule established in 2006 was delayed several times.
Briefly, Grade 1 diesel remained at 3000 mg/kg until its specifications were dropped from Resolution 1283/2006 in 2016. Grade 2 diesel transitioned to a single sulfur limit of 350 mg/kg for the entire nation in 2024. The Grade 3 diesel supply mandate started in 2009 with a 50 mg/kg sulfur limit which transitioned to 10 mg/kg in 2016.
- At the time Resolution 1283/2006 was published, the sulfur limits were set to 3000 ppm for Grade 1, 1500/2500 ppm for Grade 2, and 500 ppm for Grade 3. Sulfur limit reductions were scheduled to occur in 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2016. After the last reduction, in June 2016, the sulfur limits would become 1000 ppm, 30 ppm, and 10 ppm for the three respective grades.
- Resolution 478/2009 delayed the sulfur changes for Grade 1 and Grade 2 that were scheduled to come into effect starting 2008. The mandatory introduction of Grade 3 was delayed until June 2009 at a sulfur limit of 50 mg/kg while the transition to 10 mg/kg was set for June 2016. The introduction of Grade 2 LSD (500 mg/kg) diesel to high population density areas and 1,500 mg/kg to low population density areas was scheduled for July 2012 [6836].
- Resolution 5/2016 affirmed the 10 mg/kg sulfur limit Grade 3 effective June 2016, stopped issuing specifications for Grade 1 diesel, modified the sulfur reduction schedule for Grade 2 and 3, and made other changes to Grade 2 and 3 specifications. Grade 2 sulfur limits were to change to 500/1000 mg/kg in 2019 and in 2022, low and high population density sulfur limits were to be replaced by a single 350 mg/kg limit [3405].
- Resolutions 558/2019 and 576/2019 delayed the transition of Grade 2 to 350 mg/kg until 2024 [6837][6838].
Originally, Resolution 1283/2006 also included specifications for B100 biodiesel and its blends. In February 2010, the B100 biodiesel specification was repealed from Resolution 1283/2006 and an updated specification suitable for blends up to B5 was issued under Resolution 6/2010 to coincide with the start of a 5% biodiesel mandate [3406]. The specification was tightened in September 2010 to enable blends over B7 and again in 2019 to further tighten limits on some contaminants, improve storage stability and to add a grade of biodiesel (biodiesel CF) suitable for blending in low temperature regions.
Resolution 6/2010 was established under law 26,093 and when this law was repealed in 2021 with the issuing of the new biofuels law 27,640, specifications for biodiesel were reestablished under Resolution 689/2022 [3402][6839][6840]. Many of the limits were relaxed to values found in the 2010 specification and a low temperature grade of biodiesel was no longer specified. Fuel supplied to some of the cold parts of the country is exempted from the biodiesel blending mandate. The more relaxed 2022 specifications prioritize domestic supply and accommodate smaller processing plants, shifting focus away from the export-oriented, stricter criteria of the previous standards.
Gasoline
Resolution 1283/2006 also covers specifications for gasoline fuels. Three grades of gasoline are covered: Grade 1 (83 RON), Grade 2 (93 RON) and Grade 3 (97 RON). As with Grade 1 diesel, Grade 1 gasoline continues to be identified for tax purposes, but specifications have not been included in Resolution 1283/2006 after 2016. Grade 2 has had a sulfur limit of 50 mg/kg since 2024 and Grade 3 has had a sulfur limit of 10 mg/kg since 2019.
In 2026, the gasoline specifications in Resolution 1283/2006 were updated to set the maximum oxygen limit to 5.6% mass and the maximum bioethanol limit to 15% volume to accommodate voluntary increases in blend level beyond the 12% mandate [6841]. Previously, the limits had been 4.5% mass and 12% volume respectively. While other oxygenates are used in Argentina including imported ETBE and MTBE, their use is declining in favor of domestically produced ethanol.
Since 2022, specifications for fuel grade ethanol are found on Resolution 689/2022 [6840].
Renewable Fuels
Law 26,093 required at least 5% biodiesel to be blended with diesel fuel starting January 1, 2010 [3402]. The law was promulgated in May 2006 to be valid for 15 years and was therefore scheduled to expire May 2021. Under this Law, blending mandates for biodiesel were raised from 5% in 2010 to 10% in 2014 [5379]. In 2016, Law 26,093 was amended to raise the minimum allowable mandate from 5% to 10% [3403]. However, after 2016, the actual blend level of biodiesel dropped from a high of 10% in 2017 to as low as 4% in 2021 [5380]. The ethanol blend mandate started at 5% in 2010 and rose to 12% in 2016 where it remained until Law 26,093 was repealed.
In 2021, the expiry date of Law 26,093 was extended several times prior to the publication of a new Biofuels Regulatory Framework—the latter being published in August 2021 as Law 27,640 [5378]. Law 27,640 is in effect until the end of 2030, has the option to be extended once for up to 5 years and provides the flexibility to lower biofuel blend rates to as low as 3% biodiesel in diesel and 9% bioethanol in gasoline. This law set the biodiesel blend mandate at 5% but an amendment in 2022 raised it to 7.5%. It maintained the ethanol mandate at 12% consistent with the mandate from Law 26,093. Biofuels Law 27,640 requires that biofuels fulfilling the official mandates must be manufactured from domestically produced feedstock. No full life-cycle GHG emission criteria are applied to biofuels and no policies are in place to advance commercialization of other biofuels such as renewable diesel or SAF.
There are also some provincial biofuel requirements. Cordoba province fuels some of the provincial fleet with B100, E85 and E100 as well as B20 and E17. Santa Fe province has a law promoting biofuel use in agriculture, transportation, logistics, government fleets, heat and power generation, and bunker fuel [6842].