Bye-bye Enargas and ENRE: the new entity that Milei created by decree and the changes that are coming

Days after the energy emergency that caused gas outages at service stations and industries during a historic polar wave, the government of Javier Milei decided to move forward with a structural reform in the area and a unification of the entities that regulate gas and electricity .

This Monday, through decree 452/2025 , the merger of the two regulatory entities in the sector was made official: the National Gas Regulatory Entity (Enargas) and the National Electricity Regulatory Entity (ENRE).

The new agency will be called the National Gas and Electricity Regulatory Entity (ENRGE) and will operate under the Ministry of Energy, currently headed by María Tettamanti.

It will have 180 calendar days to formally begin operating and must form a Board of Directors composed of five members: a president, a vice president, and three members, appointed by the Executive Branch but with the approval of Congress.

The ENRGE will have autonomy and functional and budgetary independence, and may operate in the public and private spheres. Its assets will consist of the assets transferred to it and those it acquires, and its headquarters will be in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.

Due to the cold wave, there is a total 24-hour outage of CNG loading in Mendoza.

The Andes / Ramiro Gómez

As indicated by the Government, directors must have technical and professional experience in the energy sector and may not have ties to or interests in companies in the wholesale electricity market or in firms active in the natural gas industry. Board decisions will be made by simple majority, and the chairman will have a double vote in the event of a tie.

"Members of the Board of Directors may not be owners or have any direct or indirect interest in companies recognized as participants in the Wholesale Electricity Market (MEM), nor in companies recognized as active participants in the natural gas industry, nor in companies controlling or controlled by the former," the DNU clarifies, establishing that a quorum must be met with the presence of a minimum of three members, one of whom must be the president or his or her replacement.

Regarding financing , the ENRGE will be supported by the inspection and control fees established by current laws (24.065 and 24.076), along with subsidies, donations, transfers, financial interests, income from the sale of CNG wafers, and other sources. It will also inherit the personnel, budget, and assets of the now-merged entities.

It's worth clarifying that until the new agency approves its final organizational structure, the current Enargas and ENRE units will remain operational to ensure the administrative and operational continuity of the regulatory system.

This decision comes just days after the Emergency Executive Committee, made up of public agencies and industry companies, announced the end of the gas emergency that affected much of the country.

The situation has now returned to normal, following an increase in production from Vaca Muerta and an improvement in gas availability.