Havana/A gas station of the state-owned Cimex, recently rehabilitated on the corner of 41 and 60, in the Havana municipality of Playa, now sells Regular B90 at $2.30 per liter under the name of Nexol. The employees confirmed to 14ymedio that it is a MSME and that fuel is sold in dollars and only cash is accepted. The renovation has included a complete change of signs and colors, reflecting the new policy of leasing public gas stations to private companies.
A worker at a nearby cafeteria told 14ymedio that questions about the new business are frequent among neighbors. What is most striking is the speed with which the service center, which had been deteriorating for some time, was repaired.
What is most striking is the speed with which the service center, which had been deteriorating for some time, was repaired.
The establishment advertises itself as a 24-hour business, with punch bowl, greasing and vehicle scrubbing services. When this newspaper requested a telephone number, a business card or some way to obtain information about the company, the response was negative. Any consultation must be made in person. Nexol also does not have a website or an official profile on social networks.
However, Nexol advertising does circulate through personal profiles and buying and selling groups. In one publication Shared on November 8 by a user named Lordán García in the Facebook group “House and apartment for sale in El Vedado”, a woman who identifies herself as Elsa Pardo assures that the service center is on the corner of her house and asks: “Who from the PCC did they give it to?” He also points out that the premises “was destroyed until a few days ago” and confirms that it was quickly repaired.
In other comments to the publication, Noslen Ahmed assures that euros are received at par with the dollar.
Nexol is not the first business of this type whose appearance raises so many questions
Nexol is not the first business of this type whose appearance raises so many questions. In April, 14ymedio checked that the authorities had rented the Acapulco service center, in Nuevo Vedado, to a private company. Its employees recognized the change in management, but refused to reveal the name of the beneficiary MSME.
In July, this newspaper visited the Abule facilitiesa company with foreign capital that began selling diesel at $2.50 per liter from a warehouse belonging to Cubalub, a subsidiary of the state oil company Cupet. The company promoted itself as a business independent of the Government, while using public infrastructure and exhibiting storage capacity that was difficult to find in a country hit by fuel shortages.
Other case documented by 14ymedio It is that of the old Shell of Guanabacoa, where a MSME that rents state pumps, resale operations and street vendors coexist. This newspaper could not identify the company that manages the gas station, but it could identify the YES Group, responsible for another type of marketing in the same place.
The expansion of these businesses occurs after the Government will eliminate the fixed price in May of fuels sold in foreign currency and allow each operator to establish rates according to their import costs. On October 19 it came into force a new oil legislation that expands the participation of MSMEs, self-employed workers and foreign investors in the transportation, storage and marketing of hydrocarbons. However, companies need registrations, licenses and permits to operate, and the State retains its intervention in setting prices.
