History

The Ministry of Energy and Mines regulates fuel quality standards in Peru for transport and non-transport fuels. MINEM was first given the authority to regulate diesel fuel sulfur content through Supreme Decree No. 042-2005-EM. The passage of Law No. 28694 in March 2006 established limits of 50 ppm sulfur content for diesel fuels by 2016 and 50 ppm in gasoline by 2017. The full implementation of this law was subject to delays in enforcement due to limitations in refining capacity. As a result, sulfur levels remained as high as 1,500 ppm in certain parts of the country. Despite this, Ministerial decree No. 139-2012-MEM-DM made the sale of diesel fuels with a sulfur level above 50ppm illegal in Lima, Arequipa, Cusco, Puno y Madre de Dios (Callao) 120 days after its signing into law in March 2012. In the following years, the diesel 50 ppm limit was implemented in various other regions, but not nationally. Supreme Decree 025-2017-EM enumerated the ≥ 50 ppm sulfur cap for high octane (95, 97, and 98) fuels in 2018.

The passage of Supreme Decree 041-2021-EM on May 20^th, 2021, put in place a timeline for the complete nationwide adoption of both ≤50 ppm sulfur diesel and gasoline fuels. The Decree requires diesel fuels to meet the 50-ppm limit on July 1^st, 2021, and gasoline and gasohol fuels to meet the limit the following year. The Departments of Loreto and Ucayali are excluded from this requirement due to their remoteness and the logistical difficulties of supplying them with the necessary fuels. Supreme Decree 041-2021-EM also standardizes the marketing of fuels, creating four categories: gasoline, premium gasoline, gasohol, and premium gasohol.