SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Gas stations in Tijuana are operating at 50 percent capacity as they slowly recover from a gas shortage that shut down many stations for days, according to Alejandro Borja Robles, with the National Chamber of Commerce in Tijuana.
He says it will take about 10 days to get back to normal.
“Fortunately things are progressing, all stations report having some gas, although they are still not offering full tanks of gas to customers,” he said.
Gas stations in the region began reporting shortages on May 19, when residents blockaded a refinery in the coastal town of Rosarito, about 20 miles south of Tijuana.
They were demanding the state of Baja California grant them full title to lands where they had settled and built their homes.
The residents claim Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador promised them full land ownership six years ago when he campaigned for president.
Protesters decided to end their blockade after negotiating with Baja and federal government officials last week.
In recent days, trucks have been leaving the refinery 24 hours a day as they try to resupply gas stations in the Tijuana area.
“By next week for sure we’ll be back to normal with gas inventory,” Borja Robles said.
He reports that during the gas shortage, prices went up slightly.
“Gas went up by two pesos (about 13 cents per liter) we expect prices to start dropping and be on par with prices we saw before the blockade.”
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