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Natural Gas Act

Original Language Title: LEY DE GAS NATURAL

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LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY-REPUBLIC OF EL SALVADOR ____________________________________________________________________

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DECREE NO 630

THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF EL SALVADOR,

WHEREAS:

I. That the State must promote economic and social development, by increasing production, productivity and rational utilization of resources, guaranteeing economic freedom and promoting private initiative, within the necessary conditions of competition, to increase national wealth and to ensure the benefits of the country's greatest number of inhabitants;

II. That by Legislative Decree No. 404, dated August 30, 2007, published in Official Journal No. 181, Volume 377, of October 1 of the same year, the Law of Creation of the National Energy Council was issued; the said Council is the authority higher, rectoring and normative in the field of energy policy, aiming at the establishment of the policy and strategy that promotes the efficient development of the energy sector;

III. That it is in the national interest to promote the diversification of the country's energy matrix, by utilizing non-traditional energy sources that minimize environmental impacts and can be delivered in a reliable manner;

IV. That in the context indicated in the previous recital, it is necessary to create the legal framework that regulates the activities related to natural gas, in effect that it can be used as an energy source for the generation of electric power, consumption industrial, home consumption and for the combustion of motor vehicles; and,

V. That in this sense, it is necessary to stimulate a competitive business development in the market of said product.

BY TANTO,

in use of its constitutional powers and on the initiative of the President of the Republic, through the Minister of Economics,

DECRETA the following:

NATURAL GAS LAW

CHAPTER I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

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Object

Art. 1.- The purpose of this Law is to regulate and regulate the reception, storage, regasified, transportation, distribution and marketing of natural gas.

Definitions

Art. 2.- The following definitions apply to this Law:

Storage of Natural Gas: It is the activity of reception, accumulation in stationary tanks, regasification

and delivery of liquefied natural gas.

Store: Is the holder of an authorization to perform natural gas storage activities.

Risk Analysis: It is the study that determines the quantitative and/or qualitative value of an operational and/or security risk to from the analysis of the projected actions of a work or activity; this must include a plan " accident prevention and contingency.

Concession Area: This is the territory to which the concession of the public service of natural gas distribution by pipelines and/or networks is limited.

Authorization: It is the administrative act by which the State authorises a natural or legal person, national or foreign, to construct the infrastructure necessary to carry out any of the following activities: storage of natural gas, modular gas transport, sale of natural gas for vehicle use in service stations or conversion of vehicles for the use of natural gas, in accordance with the provisions of this Law.

Marketer: All natural or legal persons who are duly authorized, who carry out sales activities of natural gas, are considered to be marketed.

Concession: It is the administrative act by which the State grants in favor of a natural or legal person, national or foreign, the right to construct and operate the facilities for the transportation of natural gas by pipelines and/or distribution of natural gas by nets, as well as, for the performance of such transport activities or distribution.

Dealer: Operator of natural gas transportation and distribution that has experience in the development of this activity of a minimum of five years with recognized antecedents of prevention, safety and use of Tip technology.

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Natural Gas Distribution by Networks: It is the public utility activity consistent in receiving, driving, delivering and in

its case to market natural gas in quality of public service, to the users of the concession area.

Distributor: Is the holder of a concession to perform activities of Natural gas distribution.

Reception and Dispatch Station: Facilities for reception, filtering, regulation, measurement, odorization

and the dispatch of the natural gas in block to be distributed through the systems

This is the point that separates the transport system from the distribution system.

Service Stations: They are the stores with repository and traceego equipment for

storage, handling, and marketing Natural gas detail for vehicle use.

Natural Gas: It is the mixture of hydrocarbons, with The predominance of methane, which in normalized pressure and temperature conditions are presented in the natural state of gas.

Liquefied Natural Gas or LNG: It is natural gas that through a process of physical conversion passes from the state

gaseous to liquid state.

Free Access: It is the right that every natural or legal person, national or foreign, public or private, has access to the available capacity of the service; as well as, to future extensions of capacity, in a non-discriminatory, transparent and objective manner.

License: It is the administrative act by which the State grants to a natural or legal person, national or foreign the right to operate the relevant infrastructure and equipment to carry out the activities regulated by this law; as well as, the import and export of gas natural.

Contingency Plan and Accident Prevention: It is the document that includes preventive, corrective or mitigation measures

that will need to be taken into account in order to act in the face of a risk or accident; as well as, training of personnel for the prevention and attention of accidents.

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Distribution System: It is the secondary infrastructure derived from the transport system,

constitutes in networks for the distribution of natural gas.

Transport System: It is the primary infrastructure of gas transport natural by pipelines, plus the

side or branch lines.

Conversion Workshop: This is the authorized establishment that has the trained personnel and facilities technically appropriate to provide the service of installation, maintenance and repair of the complete conversion equipment or its components for use with natural gas in vehicles that originally used another type of fuel.

LNG Storage Terminals or Terminals: They are the liquefied natural gas storage facilities, LNG, including

equipment for port reception, regasification, compression and delivery of gas natural.

Natural Gas Transport by Ducts: It is the public utility activity of moving natural gas from the point of

delivery to the receiving and dispatch stations.

It is excluded from this definition, the distribution Natural gas by networks.

Transportation of Modular Gas (TGM): Transportation made by specially designed automotive vehicles

to transport compressed natural gas.

CHAPTER II COMPETENT BODIES, FUNCTIONS, ATTRIBUTIONS AND FINANCING

Competent Bodies.

Art. 3.- The competent bodies to monitor and supervise the activities regulated in this Law are the Ministry of Economy, hereinafter "the Ministry" and the Directorate of Hydrocarbons and Mines, hereinafter "the Directorate", taking into account the policies and guidelines to be issued by the National Energy Council.

Without prejudice to the provisions of the foregoing paragraph, any institution of the State shall participate in the surveillance of the activities regulated by the present Law, in accordance with their legal powers.

Ministry attributions

Art. 4.- The Ministry shall have the following powers:

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a). To grant, modify, renew and authorize the transfer of natural gas transportation concessions for pipelines and natural gas distribution by networks; and, to leave without effect the same for the causes established in this Law;

b). To know and resolve in a substantiated manner, the appeal filed against the resolutions of the Directorate, in accordance with the procedures laid down in this law;

c). Establish the basis and conditions for the granting of natural gas transportation concessions for pipelines and the distribution of natural gas through networks, through public bidding and to execute the bidding processes;

d). Approve and publish prices and tariffs, as set out in this Law and its regulations; and,

e). Apply the penalties set forth in this Act.

Address attributions.

Art. 5.- In relation to natural gas, the Directorate shall have the following privileges:

a) Grant, modify and renew the authorizations and the operating licenses; as well as leave without effect the same in application to this Law;

b) Grant licenses for the import and export of natural gas;

c) Monitor the correct application of the prices and tariffs set by the Ministry and ensure that the supporting information is available for knowledge of stakeholders;

d) Fixing the minimum security inventories to be maintained by the importers and storekeepers to satisfy internal consumption;

e) Require the information or documentation that it deems necessary for the performance of its functions, in accordance with the provisions of this Law;

f) the correct provision of services by undertakings under their supervision and compliance with their obligations, including, where appropriate, the implementation of the committed investment plan and the maintenance of their facilities;

g) Promote, in the framework of law, competitiveness and efficiency in activities regulated;

h) to report, in a substantiated manner to the Superintendency of Competition or to the Consumer Ombudsman respectively, the presence or evidence of anticompetitive practices or violations of consumer rights;

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i) Know and process the complaints that under this Law have jurisdiction;

j) Present to the Ministry the opinion on the rates of transport and distribution, for the respective approval of the same;

k) Attend to the Ministry in the calls for public tender to grant concessions, where appropriate;

l) Issue opinion in cases of transfer, extension, expiration or replacement of concessions; as well as, in relation to the possibility of leaving them without effect;

m) Order suspension of service and repair or replacement of facilities and equipment, or any other measure to ensure the operational security of the systems; and,

n) The other powers and privileges arising from this Act.

Financing of the Address

Art. 6.- The operating budget of the Directorate, in order to carry out the monitoring and supervision of the activities covered by this Law, shall be constituted by the fiscal resources allocated to the Ministry, in the General Budget.

CHAPTER III AUTHORIZATIONS FOR STORAGE, FILLING STATIONS,

VEHICLE CONVERSION AND MODULAR GAS TRANSPORT WORKSHOPS

Authorizations.

Art. 7.- Require prior authorization, the following activities:

a) Construction of natural gas storage facilities;

b) Construction of natural gas filling stations for use vehicle, NGV;

c) The construction of infrastructure required for natural gas vehicle conversion workshops; and,

d) The construction of infrastructure required for the transport of modular gas.

It will also require authorization to extend, modify, or remodel the infrastructure.

authorisations shall be granted by the Directorate, at the request of the data subject, after compliance with the requirements and obligations set out in this Law and its regulations.

Licenses

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Art. 8.- Built the infrastructure, the Directorate, after obtaining the opinion of the latter that it has complied with the corresponding authorization, will grant the operating license of the facilities and equipment subject to this authorization.

You will also require a license to operate any extension, modification, or remodeling of your infrastructure.

General Requirements

Art. 9.-Those interested in obtaining an authorization to carry out any of the activities mentioned in this Law must comply with the following requirements:

a) Submit a request detailing the activity you intend to carry out, the name, name or social name and address of the applicant, description of the place where the premises will be located, as well as the rules to be applied in accordance with Article 59 of this Law; and in particular in the case of the activities of transport and distribution of natural gas, credit experience in the development of the same for a minimum of five years with a recognized history of prevention, security and use of state-of-the-art technology.

b) Credit the availability of the building in which the activity will take place;

c) Documentation that accredits the respective legal status, in the case of a legal person;

d) Credit the current trade number;

e) Copy of the tax identification card, certified by notary;

f) Solvency issued by the General Directorate of Internal Revenue;

g) Certified copy by notary of the Single Identity Document (DUI) of the applicant, in case of natural persons and legal representative in the case of legal persons;

h) Resolution of qualification of the place, line of construction and road review issued by the competent authority; e,

i) Notary-certified copy of the taxpayer's registration number.

Natural Gas Storage

Art. 10.- For the construction of natural gas storage facilities, in addition to the general requirements, the following shall be complied with:

a) Land topographic plants, in appropriate scale, duly bounded, with indication Line and surface area in square meters;

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b) Project architectural plan, with all its components;

c) Architectural project that includes plants, cuts, facades, ceilings on appropriate scale;

d) Cronogram of execution, with indication of start dates and completion of works on calendar days;

e) Descriptive memory of the project, whose technical and safety content will be indicated in the corresponding regulation;

f) Accreditation of the port authority, with respect to the facilitation of basic port infrastructure for the development of the project and the compatibility with the infrastructure required by the project;

g) The plans for the different technical and security installations specified in the corresponding regulation;

h) Environmental permission; e,

i) Analysis of risk.

Free Storage Access

Art. 11.- The storage of natural gas shall be governed by the right of free access.

The storekeeper that has available capacity in the natural gas storage terminal is obliged to allow free access to the use of its natural gas. facilities, provided that the applicants comply with the legal provisions laid down in the Law and the corresponding regulation.

Free access will apply only to the volumes of gas that the operator does not have previously committed by effective contract with third party and will be for consideration by the regulated tariff for the Ministry, in accordance with the provisions of this Law.

Authorization and License for Self-Consumption

Art. 12.- The storage of natural gas may be authorized, including the transportation of said product for self-consumption, to the place where the facilities of the industry are located to supply, prior to compliance with the requirements established in this Law and the corresponding regulation. The transport activity referred to in this Article shall not be subject to the rules of the concession regulated in Art. 18 of this Law.

In the event that the storage activity for self-consumption makes use of the system of transport by pipeline, will be subject to tariff regulation and the right of free access; this rule, will not apply in case the pipeline is dedicated to the industry to supply.

The product received by the company supplied, will be for use exclusive of the

operations

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same.

The license for the storage of natural gas for self-consumption will last for thirty years.

NGV Service Stations

Art. 13.- For the construction of natural gas refueling stations for vehicle use (NGV) and activities related to NGV, the following general requirements must be met:

a) Land topographic plants, in appropriate scale, duly bounded, with indication of linderings and surface area in square meters;

b) Architectural plan of the project, with all its components;

c) Planes of the technical and security installations;

d) execution, with start and end date indication;

e) Descriptive memory of the NGV project, with a detailed indication of the technical and operational characteristics of each of the elements that make up the NGV service station;

f) Environmental permission; and,

g) Risk analysis.

Workshops Conversion of Vehicles to Natural Gas

Art. 14.- For the authorization for the construction of conversion workshops for natural gas vehicles, in addition to the requirements of Art. 9, you must present the following:

a) Plano of location of the workshop, in appropriate scale, with indication of the type of neighbouring buildings, surrounding streets and avenues;

b) Plano of facilities, on an appropriate scale, with plant indications, location of safety equipment and devices, fire extinguishers and signs;

c) electrical installations;

d) Indicating the standards that the different equipment meets and Workshop facilities;

e) Listing of mechanical and safety equipment, as set out in the relevant regulation;

f) Environmental permit; and,

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g) Risk analysis.

The Management will perform at random workshops the verification of the application of the technical standards in the process of conversion of natural gas vehicles.

In case of finding non-compliance with the technical standards referred to in the previous paragraph, the Directorate will leave the corresponding license without effect.

Modular Gas Transport

Art. 15.- For the authorisation of the activities of the transport and the management of modular gas, in addition to the general requirements of Art. 9, the following must be complied with:

a) Indicating the standards that the transport equipment meets;

b) Execution Cronogram, with indication of start and end date;

c) Description of the NGV project, with detailed indication of the technical and operational characteristics of the project;

d) Environmental Permit; and,

e) Risk Analysis.

Appeal Resource

Art. 16.- Against the final resolution pronounced by the Directorate in the procedure followed to grant authorizations or licenses, the appeal will proceed to the Minister of Economy.

The appeal must be filed in writing to the Directorate, within three working days of the notification of the respective decision, having to express the decision of the decision, the reasons on which the appeal is based and the relevant evidence to be provided if any.

Having met the time and form requirements, the Address, at the latest the following working day, he shall admit the appeal and send the letter of interposition and the relevant file to the Minister for Economic Affairs. Such a decision must be notified within the same period.

The Board of Appeal shall be resolved within a period of not more than 15 working days from the date of its standing, with the sole view of the file and assessed as evidence presented, if applicable.

If the interposition of the resource does not meet the time and form requirements expressed, the same shall be declared inadmissible.

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CHAPTER IV CONCESSIONS FOR TRANSPORT AND DISTRIBUTION

Concessions

Art. 17.- They will require the prior granting of the concession:

i) The construction and operation of natural gas transport infrastructure by pipelines; and,

ii) The construction and operation of infrastructure for the distribution of gas

The regulation and supervision of the activities under concession will be carried out by the Directorate, in accordance with the provisions of this Law and its regulations.

Concessions for the transportation of natural gas through pipelines and for the distribution of natural gas by nets will be granted by the Ministry, by the deadline of thirty years, counted from the date of granting of the concession. The outgoing concessionaire will be able to participate in the public tender to qualify for a new concession.

Concession for Natural Gas Transport

Art. 18.- With the exception of the transport of natural gas for self-consumption regulated in Art. 12 of this Law, concessions for the transport of natural gas by pipelines shall be granted by the Ministry, at the request of a party, natural persons or legal, national or foreign, which demonstrate technical capacity and financial solvency and which comply with the technical standards of safety and environmental protection.

The application and the corresponding documentation, of in accordance with Article 21 (a), (c), (d), (e), (f) and (g) of Article 21, the Ministry shall decide on the feasibility of the work of transport, within the period of ninety days from its receipt. This time limit includes the publication of the application.

The application referred to in the previous paragraph will be published at the expense of the applicant in two national circulation papers. Within 30 working days, any natural or legal person, national or foreign, may express an interest in the concession, in compliance with the requirements set out in the foregoing paragraph, in which case it shall be to tender the service according to the law.

All the documentation that will be presented at this initial stage will be of a confidential nature, so the competent official must take the necessary measures to ensure such confidentiality.

Not to be presented by other stakeholders, the Ministry require the sole applicant, the information required by Art. 21, with the exception of the information submitted in accordance with the first subparagraph of this provision. Having ruled on the feasibility of the application initially submitted, the

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concession will be granted in favor of such an interested party.

Conditions for Natural Gas Transportation

Art. 19.- The activity of the natural gas transport shall be subject to the following conditions:

a) Specification of the necessary easements and rights;

b) Proposed layout, identification and specifications of the properties to be affected;

c) Documentation that accredits the administrative, technical and financial capacity to execute the project;

d) No concession shall be of an exclusive nature; consequently, the Ministry may grant concessions for the same route;

e) Concessions will be granted for a period of thirty years, from the date indicated in the resolution by which the concession is granted;

f) The capacity extensions, improvements, substitutions, extensions and ramals on existing or new pipelines that are interconnected with these and that were provided for in the concession granted, will not require the processing of a new concession; and,

g) The proposed pipelines as new projects, the extensions of capacity, improvements, substitutions, extensions and branches, whether or not related to the current pipelines and which were not provided for in the concession granted or are outside the area of the same, they must process the respective concession.

Requirements for Natural Gas Transportation Concession

Art. 20.- Prior to obtaining the grant, the applicant shall submit, together with his or her application, the receipt for the value of the corresponding regulatory charge, accompanied by the requirements laid down in subparagraphs (a), (c), (d), (e), (f) and (g) of the Art. 9, the following:

a) Project description;

b) Descriptive memory, geographic location and proposed route;

c) Established pipeline capacity for natural gas transport;

d) Main installations and complementary;

e) Proposed period for the concession;

f) Program of execution works;

g) Total budget by investment categories and cost centers;

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h) The proposed financial and economic execution schedule, including investments committed by categories and cost centers for the implementation of the works and facilities; the terms and conditions of the financing required by the requester;

i) The terms and conditions of the service, including the structure, class and type of tariffs and the tariff levels to be applied in the operation of the pipeline after the transitional period, determined in accordance with the provisions laid down in the regulation;

j) The estimated start date of the service;

k) Environmental Permission;

l) Risk Analysis;

m) Description of the types of transport services to be provided, sources of supply, and potential markets; and,

n) The expressions of interest or contracts entered into with the potential clients, for accredit the bases of the new potential demand.

The documentation presented in the application will be for the exclusive use of the Ministry, in order to resolve the application submitted.

Bans to Transport Dealers Natural Gas

Art. 21.- The concessionaires for the transport of natural gas by pipelines will not be able, under the penalty of leaving the concession without effect:

a) To participate in concessions for the distribution of natural gas by nets, except for the exceptions established in the This Act; and,

b) Be hydrocarbon buyers and sellers, except for exceptions set forth in this Law.

Exceptions

Art. 22.- Except as provided for in Art. 21, after evaluation of the Directorate:

i) Concessions of natural gas distribution by networks that are granted to the transporter, for lack of interest of other natural persons or legal; and,

ii) Projects that are not economically feasible without vertical integration between natural gas transportation through pipelines and natural gas distribution by networks.

Natural Gas transportation may be licensed to buyers and/or sellers of hydrocarbons, where in a tendering process it has not been granted, whenever the Address so

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have checked and before the Competition Superintendency opinion.

In these cases, the carrier must carry separate cost centers for each of the activities.

When the carrier performs jointly activities regulated by this law and activities not regulated by

the cases provided for in the first paragraph of this article, biannually the Directorate shall carry out audits of the different business units of the transporter, in order to ensure the full compliance with the provisions of this Law and its regulations.

Distribution of Natural Gas by Networks

Art. 23.- The concessions for the distribution shall be granted by public tender by the Ministry to natural or legal persons, national or foreign, demonstrating legal, technical, administrative, financial solvency and comply with municipal urban development standards, technical standards, safety and environmental protection standards.

Distribution Activities

Art. 24.- The following activities shall be understood as a public distribution service:

i) Distribution of natural gas in accordance with literal (c) of the following article, by means of service contracts, as well as promotion and technical advice to the user; e,

ii) All other activity concerning the administration and operation of distribution systems, including marketing.

Conditions for Distribution

Art. 25.- The development of the distribution activities shall be subject to the following general conditions:

a) The concessionaire shall have the right to build, install, operate and maintain in the concession area, primary networks and secondary, and any other equipment or facilities required for the distribution of natural gas between the receiving and dispatch station and the meters of the users;

b) The concession shall be granted for a period of thirty years from the date of granting of the respective contract. The concessionaire shall meet the requirements of service presented by the users located within its concession area, in accordance with the terms and conditions provided for in the relevant regulation and the other provisions of the Address; and,

c) The concessionaire shall provide the service in an uninterrupted manner, except for exceptional cases of emergency, force majeure or situations duly authorized by

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the Management, without prejudice to the right of the concessionaire to suspend the provision of the service due to late payment, non-use of the facilities for a long period, when users make fraudulent or dangerous without observing the regulatory standards and when they hinder inspections.

The holder of a concession shall make exclusive use of it to provide natural gas to all users located in its respective concession area, with the exception of authorizations granted for self-consumption.

Management every five years, from the start date of each distribution concession, will contract the realization of a market study to verify the existence of conditions to declare the termination of the exclusivity of supply by part of the distributor in that concession area. In the event of no such conditions being verified, exclusivity will be governed by the following five years, until the new study is carried out.

Grant Suppositions

Art. 26.- The Ministry of Economy may grant concession in the following cases:

a) In the case of projects identified as necessary by the State or by the corresponding Municipal Mayor's Office;

b) When one or more persons show interest in exploiting the service in new ungranted areas;

c) Twelve months prior to the expiration of a distribution concession; and,

d) When the resolution is firmly found that leaves no concession.

Free access in transport and distribution

Art. 27.- The activity of transporting natural gas through pipelines is governed by the right of free access by virtue of which any person who fulfils the conditions required by this Law and its regulations, has the right without discrimination, to access a pipeline.

For the purposes of the full validity of this right, it is presumed that there is always a capacity availability, while the dealer does not prove otherwise to the Address.

It is considered as an abusive practice, the (i) the Commission's proposal for a Directive on the right to access to third-party gas pipelines available capacity.

CHAPTER V COMMON TO TRANSPORT AND DISTRIBUTION

Requirements for Tender Bases

Art. 28.- Without prejudice to the requirements laid down in the Procurement and Contracts Act

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of the Public Administration, the bidding bases for the granting of natural gas transportation by pipelines and the distribution of natural gas by networks, must include at least the information and documentation provided in the literals. (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f) of Article 9, in addition to the following:

a) Project description;

b) Descriptive memory, geographic location and proposed route;

c) Established pipeline capacity for natural gas transport;

d) Core and complementary installations;

e) Proposed period for the concession;

f) Work execution program;

g) Total budget by investment categories and cost centers;

h) The proposed financial and economic execution schedule, including investments committed by categories and cost centers for the implementation of the works and facilities; the terms and conditions of the financing required by the applicant;

i) The terms and conditions of the service, including the structure, class and rate of tariffs and the tariff levels to be applied in the pipeline operation after the transitional period, determined in accordance with the provisions laid down in the regulation;

j) The estimated start date of the service;

k) Environmental Permit;

l) Risk Analysis;

m) Description of the types of transport services to be provided, the sources of supply and potential markets; and,

n) The expressions of interest or contracts entered into with potential customers, to credit the bases of the new potential demand.

The documentation presented in the application will be for the exclusive use of the Ministry, in order to resolve the application submitted.

Tariff Principles

Art. 29.-The concessions for the transport of natural gas by pipelines and the distribution of natural gas by networks will be subject to economic regulation, by fixing and updating tariffs to be established by the Ministry of Economy, through an Executive Agreement.

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The tariff principles that will govern the fixing and updating of the tariffs will be as follows:

a) Procure the lowest cost to the users, considering the necessary safety, continuity and expansion of the transport system and Natural gas distribution;

b) Allow the dealership, operating under efficient, rational and prudent management, obtain sufficient revenue to cover its costs and reasonable profitability over its capital; and,

c) Incentives to the concessionaire to improve the efficiency of its operations.

Rates

Art. 30.- In consideration of the principles set out in the preceding article, both for transport and for the distribution of the product, the tariffs will be established on the basis of costs of an efficient company.

Art. 31.- In the determination of the tariff, the holders of a concession shall consider in their establishment, under the concept of an efficient company, the following elements:

a) Costs of operation, maintenance and administration;

b) Marketing costs;

c) Financial costs;

d) Capital reserves for rehabilitation, replacement and extension of assets;

e) Transported and/or contracted volumes;

f) Regulatory charge; and,

g) Company profitability margin.

The rate presented by the holder may be revised, modified and in its case approved and registered by the Ministry, for its due publication and subsequent application.

Price to the Consumer

Art. 32.- Final consumer prices shall be determined by the sum of the purchase price of natural gas, plus the rates associated with storage, transportation and distribution for each segment of the activities referred to in this Law. with the respective settings, according to the corresponding regulation.

The regulation will set similar rates to similar users.

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Service Continuity

Art. 33.- During the validity of the concession for the transportation of natural gas by pipelines or for the distribution of natural gas by networks, the concessionaire may not suspend temporarily or definitively the services in his capacity without the prior authorization of the Directorate, except cases of force majeure or fortuitous case. Failure to comply with this provision will be a cause of revocation.

Causals to Leave the Concession without Effect

Art. 34.- With regard to the concessions subject to this Law, they may be left without effect by the Minister of Economy, in the following cases:

a) When the concessionaire does not initiate or complete the works or installations within the time limits

b) When the concessionaire infringes the right of free access, which will be qualified by the Ministry;

c) By the commission of a very serious infringement concerning the non-compliance of the obligations to provide for the use of gas or to verify compliance with this obligation, as set out in Article 62, Art. 63, literal m); Art. 64, literal a); Art. 65, literal d) and Art. 66, literal f); as well as, any other non-compliance with technical standards referred to in this law, which produces some harm to the service user population, also (d) For the second time,

very serious infringement sanctioned with a fine.

The same official must leave the concession without effect when there is a declaration of bankruptcy of the concessionaire, issued by competent authority.

In case a concession is left without effect, the Ministry may order the intervention of the activity in order to preserve the continuity of the service.

The procedure applicable to the intervention regime is subject to regulation.

Transfer of the Authorizations, Concessions or Licenses

Art. 35.- At the request of the interested parties, the transfer of the authorizations, concessions or licenses may be made subject to the authorization of the Ministry. The transfer shall be granted for the time limit for the completion of the original license, authorization or concession, and the transferee shall comply with the same requirements as the transferor.

CHAPTER VI

EASEMENTS

Art. 36.- For the construction of distribution networks and pipelines for the transport of natural gas, it is

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may make use of the rights of way in the national public goods, and must be complied with at all times with the applicable urban, security, technical and environmental standards.

In the application of the previous paragraph, the person responsible of the works is obliged to leave such national goods in the state in

The expenses resulting from the removal, removal and replacement of the pipeline of pipelines that may be necessary for the extension, maintenance or improvement of roads, roads, streets, railways, ornate works or for other reasons of the same nature, they will be on behalf of the distributor or carrier.

Art. 37.- If the use of the rights of way in the national public goods is not economically viable for the execution of the activities of transport or distribution of natural gas, the holder of the authorization or concession, may require of the establishment of the rights of serfdom in respect of the immovable property concerned, and must first negotiate with the respective owner or holder. If no agreement is reached between the parties and within 30 days of the first offer being made in writing without a reply, the person concerned may request the establishment of the rights of serfdom. required in accordance with the judicial procedure expressed in this Chapter.

In the event that the construction of the projected works involves the use of fifty percent or more of the general area or that they substantially affect the normal use of the building, the owner will have the right to condition it to the total purchase of the building by the vendor or carrier that requires it.

Art. 38.- The judge responsible for hearing the judgments of the establishment of the serfdom shall be the Judge of Peace of the domicile of the defendant or of the place where the property is situated to be affected, at the discretion of the plaintiff.

Art. 39.- For the purposes of this Law, the person concerned shall submit to the respective Court, an application with respect to the property on which the serfdom and the portion to be exercised, as well as the name or names, must be exercised. the owners or holders and any person who has registered in their favour real or personal rights to be respected, with the expression of their respective addresses.

If the persons indicated have not been absent or unable, the names and addresses of their representatives must be expressed, if known.

It will also add:

a) Copy of the drawings and technical description made by the civil engineer or architect authorized by the competent authority; and the amount of the compensation proposed to be paid, corresponding to the portion of the building on the right of servitude shall be exercised. The proposed compensation must include the value of the land to be occupied by the works, and the amount of damages to be incurred; and,

b) The affidavit on the following points: 1) that the studies have been verified technical requirements to establish that the pipeline, networks and installations are drawn up

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associated projected, is the only one or the most suitable for the respective construction; 2) that the portion of the property to be affected, is the least extension necessary for the development of the activity, for the execution of the project, which must be according to the rules of this Law.

Art. 40.- The Judge shall admit the application and act followed and shall receive the evidence to the owners or holders and other persons who indicate the previous article or their legitimate representatives, within the period of eight days, and if Persons who are absent, of whom their whereabouts are ignored, or who are incapable of having a legal representative, the Judge shall immediately appoint after the publication referred to in the following Article and to represent them in the judgment, without procedure, a special curator.

The Judge shall appoint an expert to determine the value of the The market in the area of the land to affect the servitude requested, as well as the amount equivalent to the damage caused. The fees of the expert must be cancelled by the applicant.

Art. 41. In the case where the defendant is absent, his whereabouts are ignored, or if he is incapable of having a legal representative, notice shall be published on behalf of the claimant, for a single time in the Official Journal and in two of the national movement, requiring the presence of the defendant or person representing him. If eight days have passed without a person showing legal status, the judge will appoint the special curator.

The position of special curator must be a lawyer of the republic who is not disabled for the exercise of the procurement, who shall be sworn to the acceptance of the charge and comply with it faithfully and legally; the placement shall be made to make use of the rights of the defendant.

Art. 42.- term to answer the claim and to present the evidence to his advantage shall be expired within three days, the Judge shall give final judgment, decree the constitution of the serfdom or declare it without place, and In the first case, it will determine the amount of the compensation, which must be deposited in the account funds Ajenos in Custody of the Treasury Department of the Ministry of Finance, to the order of the Court, within three days of the notification date of the statement.

For payment purposes, the rights entered in favour of third parties.

In any event, the compensation shall include the value of the area of land subject to the easement, as well as the amount of damages caused by the construction, custody, conservation and repair of the facilities and the other limitations to which the building is subject to the easement.

Art. 43.-The judgment may comprise one or more properties belonging to one or more owners or holders and shall be appealed to the higher court in grade, within three working days.

Art. 44.- Notified the final judgment declaring the constitution of the easement without recourse, shall be signed and lodged, shall be entered as the title of the execution of that judgment.

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If four days after the notification of the judgment is not allowed to the holder of the easement, by reluctance of the owners or holders of the immovable property, the exercise of the actual right of servitude established, the Judge will enable the carrying out the works, even if the works were not corresponding inscriptions.

Art. 45.- In the case of an appeal, it shall be filed with the higher court in grade. If any of the parties so request, a period of five working days of evidence, common to the parties, shall be granted if the appellant so requests, with the following eight working days to issue the judgment.

Art. 46.-The title of the constitution of the serfdom, whether it has been granted voluntarily or forcefully, shall contain:

a) Name, profession and address of the owner or holder, as the case may be;

b) Description of the property subject to the easement, indicating its registration in the Registry of the Root Property, if any; and,

c) Technical description of the portion of the building upon which the easement will be exercised, according to the plans elaborated by the professional.

Art. 47.- The title of incorporation of the easement referred to in this law shall be entered in favour of the holder of the transport or distribution activity:

a) Although the prediums are subject to a record of history, provided that the owners or the constituent holders have not been disturbed in their right by judicial proceedings or administrative proceedings, during the two years preceding the date of the establishment of the charge, accredit in the respective Register with constances issued by the Municipal Mayor and the Judge of First Instance of the Civil of its territorial understanding; and,

b) Although the colindances do not match the antecedents, provided that the plans are previously registered in the register.

Art. 48.- Where necessary to ensure the assembly or operation of the ducts or distribution networks, the holder of the easement may cut down trees on the slots on which the serfdom is to be exercised, and must obtain the corresponding permissions according to applicable law.

CHAPTER VII OPERATION, IMPORT AND EXPORT LICENSES

Operation Licenses.

Art. 49.- The purpose of the operating licences shall be to verify that the works, installations and equipment of the holders of authorisations or concessions comply with the relevant technical and safety standards.

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To obtain the operating license, the person to whom the construction has been previously authorized, must request it, appending the following, applicable according to the nature of the activity:

i) Insurance policy for liability civil and any risk to the facilities requesting the license operation;

ii) Certificate of calibration of the dispensers and equipment;

iii) Certificate of hydraulic and/or pneumatic testing of facilities; and,

iv) Certificates in which the standards under which they have been

Import & Export

Art. 50. Imports and exports of natural gas may be carried out by any natural or legal person, national or foreign, after obtaining the authorization and the respective license; as well as, comply with the annual registration in the Directorate.

Natural gas export licenses must be granted by the Directorate, provided that the internal supply of its market share is not affected.

CHAPTER VIII PLACES

Pashes.

Art. 51.- The maximum deadlines for completing the formalities laid down in this Law will be as follows:

i. For build authorizations, sixty days;

ii. To grant grants on request for part, ninety days; and,

iii. For Operating Licenses, thirty days.

The deadlines in this article will be met, as of the date on which all the requirements have been met.

CHAPTER IX REGULATORY CHARGES

Art. 52.- The following regulatory charges are established to be paid in relation to the storage of natural gas:

a) Application for authorization and operating license (initial, intermediate and final inspection).............................................. ......... $15,000.00

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(b) Annual surveillance and supervision of operation.................................... $3,500.00

c) Request for inspection by the interested party.................... $2,500.00

d) Request for modification or extension.......................... $5,000.00

e) Transfer request.................................... . $2,500.00

Art. 53.- The following regulatory charges are established to be paid in relation to natural gas filling stations.

a) Application for authorization and operating license (initial, intermediate and final inspection).......................................... ............. $1,500.00

b) Surveillance and annual supervision of operation........................................ $500.00

c) Request for inspection by the interested party................... $250.00

d) Request for modification or extension........................... $1,000.00

e) Transfer request......................................... $500.00

Art. 54.- The following regulatory charges are established to be paid in relation to the natural gas vehicle conversion workshops.

a) Application for installation authorization and operating license (initial and final inspection)... ............................ $400.00

b) Surveillance and annual monitoring of operation......................................... $150.00

c) Request for inspection by the interested party........................ $100.00

d) Request for modification, extension, or transfer................ $200.00

e) Move request.............................................. $200.00

f) Transfer request................................... $100.00

Art. 55.- The following regulatory charges are set to be paid in relation to the transport of natural gas container modules.

a) Granting of first operating license.................................................... $500.00

b) Surveillance and annual supervision of operation......................................... $300.00

c) Technical inspection at company request..................................... $300.00

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d) Transfer request........................................... $200.00

Art. 56.- The following regulatory charges are established to be paid in relation to the transportation of natural gas pipelines:

a) First application procedure for the granting of natural gas transportation..................................................... .................... $10,000.00

b) Processing pipeline capacity extensions............... $2,000.00

c) Processing of side lines or branch lines......................... $2,000.00

d) Minor Ducts................................................. $5,000.00

e) Transfer request.................................... $2,000.00

Art. 57.- The following regulatory charges are established to be paid in relation to the distribution of natural gas by networks:

a) Processing of application for the first time to grant natural gas distribution by networks. ............................ $7,000.00

b) Processing network capacity extensions................. $3,000.00

c) Transfer request.................................... $2,000.00

Art. 58.- The Ministry shall establish annually the charge of regulation to be paid by the concessionaires for the transportation and distribution of natural gas. This charge may be calculated under any of the following:

a) As a percentage of the volumes of natural gas transported and/or distributed by each dealership; or,

b) As a percentage of the earned income for each concessionaire for the provision of regulated transport and/or natural gas distribution services.

Regardless of the method of calculation of the regulatory charge chosen, the latter may not exceed one per cent (1%) of the total income after tax, obtained annually by each company

The

charge will be part of the recognised costs of the concessionaire and must be paid by means of quarterly advances as established by the Ministry through executive agreement.

CHAPTER X OBLIGATIONS, VIOLATIONS AND PENALTIES

Compliance with Technical Standards

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Art. 59.- The facilities and equipment for the activities covered by this Law, as well as the corresponding technical procedures, must comply with the requirements laid down in the technical standards issued by the National Council of Science and Technology related to natural gas, which allow to preserve the safety of people, goods and the environment, as well as to minimize any damage to them.

The technical safety standards referred to by the Previous point, including those relating to the safety of workers.

Common obligations.

Art. 60.- People who intend to carry out natural gas storage activities, natural gas transportation through pipelines, natural gas distribution by networks, modular gas transportation, operation of natural gas filling stations for use Vehicles and workshops of conversion of motor vehicles to NGV, must comply with the obligations that are indicated below:

a). Have obtained the grant, license or corresponding authorization, prior to carrying out activities governed by this Law;

b). Comply with the technical standards for installations, equipment and procedures referred to in this Law, relating to natural gas;

c). Permit and facilitate the conduct of inspections of products placed on the market, take samples, conduct tests and tests, verify weights and measures, review documentation and other necessary measures linked to the such inspections;

d). To ensure that the sale of natural gas is made only to duly authorized distributors, in accordance with the provisions of this Law and its regulations;

e). Present to the Directorate or the delegates thereof, the quality certificates of the products to be stored or marketed;

f). Inform the Directorate in writing when a supply situation is foreseen or generated in the internal market, indicating the causes and measures to solve the problem;

g). Provide monthly information to the Directorate, information on natural gas in terms of import and sales volumes, origin, destination by sectors of sale, quality, purchase and sales prices, import and local freight rates;

h). Natural gas suppliers are required to separately invoice product, freight and other services prices;

i). Provide service in a continuous and uninterrupted manner, according to the needs of the activity;

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j). Comply with the payment of regulatory charges; and,

k). Comply with the requirements set forth in this Law, prior to making modifications to the authorized infrastructure.

Industrial Security Obligations

Art. 61.- People who intend to carry out natural gas storage activities, natural gas transportation through pipelines, distribution of natural gas by networks, transport of modular gas, operation of natural gas filling stations for use Vehicles and workshops of conversion of motor vehicles to NGV, will have to comply with the obligations that are indicated below:

a) To fulfill in their installations, with the technical standards of industrial safety that avoid the risks of accidents at work;

b) Allow and facilitate delegates from the Directorate inspections in order to verify compliance with the safety standards set out in this Law;

c) Acquire and maintain in force, insurance policies for damage to persons, goods and the environment, the value of which will be determined by the Management based on the investment amounts and characteristics of the potential risks that could be generated with the activities to be carried out;

d) To carry out its activities, taking the necessary measures to avoid damage to the the physical integrity of the persons and their property, taking into account in an appropriate manner any contingency

e) Reside all material and personal damage, the product of accidents the cause of which is defective equipment or the maintenance of such damage, without prejudice to the penalties to be imposed; the Management within a period of ten days a detailed report on the causes that originated the fact and the measures taken for its control;

f) Give immediate notice to the Directorate and the competent authorities of any fact that as the results of its activities endanger public health and safety, and must in any case take the measures necessary in accordance with the contingency and accident prevention plan; and,

g) Submit annually the programme of supervision, operation and maintenance of the activities for proper verification by the Directorate.

Store Obligations

Art. 62.- People who intend to operate natural gas storage terminals must comply with the obligations of Article 60 and the following:

a) Give compliance to minimum security inventories, fixed by the Address;

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b) Meet the practices recommended by the manufacturer and, where appropriate, by the builder, in the operation and maintenance of the terminal equipment and facilities;

c) Comply with the provisions of free access to the terminal;

d) Facilitating the conduct of audits arranged by the Address in accordance with this Chapter; and,

e) Odorize gas that is marketed in accordance with the respective technical standard of quality.

Transporter Obligations

Art. 63.- People who intend to operate natural gas transportation facilities must comply with the obligations of Art. 60 and the following:

a) Carry out a manual of accounts and periodic reporting of information for purposes from information reports to the Address, in accordance with the rules laid down in the regulation;

b) Comply with the free access provisions;

c) Apply the rates set by the Ministry;

d) Apply the rates in a manner non-discriminatory;

e) Meet the manufacturer's best practices and, when corresponds, by the builder, in the operation and maintenance of the terminal equipment and facilities;

f) Reply to any service request within a maximum of three months;

g) Communicate on the interruptions of the service, a month in advance, when they are scheduled; and immediately when they are not,

h) Submit a contingency plan annually;

i) Meet scheduled maintenance tasks;

j) Continue by providing the service at the end of its concession, until a new one has been granted;

k) Send to the Address the general terms and conditions and the transport contracts entered into;

l) Get authorization from the Address before the service is suspended; and,

m) Verify that the gas you are transporting comply with the respective quality standard and that it is

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find properly odorized.

Vendor Obligations

Art. 64.- People who intend to operate natural gas distribution networks must comply with the obligations of Art. 60 and the following details:

a) Verify that the gas that it transports complies with the quality standard (b) Keep your measuring equipment properly calibrated;

c) Obtain authorization from the Directorate before removing sections of facilities from the primary and secondary systems of the distribution systems;

d) Preserving the service within the Concession Area when the network The distribution is available;

e) Meet the distribution network expansion plans approved by the Management;

f) Maintain the supply of natural gas to final consumers, except for the cuts made in accordance with the established in this Law and in its regulations;

g) Provide information on operation, maintenance and administration of services; and,

h) Provide information on its accounting and financial statements and other information that the Address considers, in accordance with its competencies.

Obligations of the Natural Gas Transporter Modular

Art. 65.- The persons intending to carry out the activities of the transport of modular natural gas, must comply with the obligations of the Art. 60 and the following details:

a) Meet the technical and safety standards referred to In this Law;

b) Buy natural gas only from authorized suppliers;

c) Use technically trained operational personnel to perform the activity of transport of modular natural gas as established in the regulation; and,

d) Verify that the gas it carries meets the quality standard And that it is properly odorized.

Obligations of NGV Stations

Art. 66.- People who intend to operate natural gas stations for vehicular use must

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comply with the obligations of Art. 60 and those detailed below:

a) Selling the exact volumes of natural gas;

b) Placing the sales prices to the public on posters located in places visible to consumers;

c) Sell NGV only to vehicles that have the

d) Perform the metrological control of the equipment to be used by the companies duly authorized by the Directorate for such purposes;

e) permanently use the electronic system of identification and control determined by the Directorate, once it has been implemented; and,

f) Verify that the gas it sells complies with the respective quality standard and that it is properly odorized.

Obligations of the Conversion Workshops

Art. 67.- People who intend to operate conversion workshops for natural gas vehicles must comply with the obligations of the Art. 60 and the following:

a) Comply with the technical safety standards issued by CONACYT;

b) Provide to the officials of the Hydrocarbons and Mines Directorate, the facilities necessary to comply with the work of inspection, control and audit of the conditions mentioned in this Law; and,

c) Present to the Management, within twenty days after the expiration of the previous month, the monthly information of vehicles converted to gas natural, in the forms established by the Directorate, which shall be of a declaration

Classification of violations

Art. 68.- Violations of the provisions of this Chapter are classified in Less Serious, Serious and Very Serious.

(a) They are less serious infractions, those provided for by non-compliance with the provisions of literals (a), (e), (i) of the Article 63;

b) They are Serious infractions, those provided for by the non-compliance with the obligations of Art. 59, literals (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j) and (m) of Article 60 (b), (d), (e) and (g) of Article 61 (b), (c) and (d) of the Article 62 (b), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (j), (k) of Article 63 (b), (d), (e), (f), (g) and (h) of the Article 64 (b) of Article 65 (b), (b), (c), (d) and (e) of Article 66; (b) and (c) of Article 67; and,

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c) These are very serious infringements, those provided for by the non-compliance with the obligations of Article 60 (a), (b) and (n) of Article 60 (a), (c) and (f) of Article 61 (e) of Article 62 (l) and (m) of Article 63; (c) Article 64 (a), (c) and (d) of Article 65 (f) of Article 66 and literal (a) of article 67.

Criteria for determining the amount of fines

Art. 69.- The determination of the penalties shall be made with the criterion of proportionality and taking into account the following circumstances:

a) The danger that for the life and health of the people, the safety of things and the environment, suppose the conduct to sanction;

b) The extent of the damage or deterioration caused;

c) The damages produced in the continuity and regularity of the supply to users;

d) The degree of participation and the profit obtained; and,

e) concurrency of dolo or fault.

Sanctions

Art. 70.- The previous violations shall be administered administratively by the Ministry, with a fine equivalent to the amount of minimum monthly salaries corresponding to the Trade and Services, in accordance with the following rules:

a) Less Serious infringements will be punished with a fine that will be calculated between fifty-one thousand minimum monthly wages;

b) Serious infractions, will be sanctioned with a fine that will be calculated between one thousand and two thousand minimum wages monthly; and,

c) Very Serious breaches, will be sanctioned with a fine that is It will calculate between two thousand and three thousand minimum monthly salaries.

The completion of a second or subsequent very serious infringement sanctioned with a fine, will result in the granting of the concession, authorization or license, as the case may be.

Notwithstanding the penalty parameters indicated in this article, where the injury to the consumers is collective, if the amount of the individual fine is lower than the entire income received unduly by the infringer, the sanction will be fixed in that amount, increased by fifty percent, whenever possible

In cases where, as a result of the commission of a very serious infringement, it is necessary to leave the concession without effect, the concessionaire must pay the State the amount equivalent to the income received unduly, provided that it is possible to determine that amount.

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In the case of very serious infractions, in addition to the fines imposed on the offender, the Ministry will include the name of the sanctioned person, in a register that will carry the Direction for this purpose and make it available to the public.

Other Infractions and Sanctions

Art. 71.- The Ministry may impose fines of up to ten minimum monthly salaries corresponding to Trade and Services, to persons who deliberately or through negligence, do not supply the information or provide the required collaboration by the Directorate or by doing so with delay, incompletely or inaccurately. The fine shall be calculated for each working day of delay or non-compliance with the requirements of the Directorate; and provided that the conduct of the infringement is not understood in any of the alleged infringement established in Art. 68 of the present Law.

Sanctions Procedure

Art. 72.- To impose the sanctions before related, it will proceed as follows: the Address by complaint or of trade, will practice inspection in the place and existing elements of proof of infraction to the Law, will start the informative for which it will give an audience to the alleged infringer for the term of eight working days; within which it may present the evidence it considers relevant; and this term will be completed, it will move the proceedings to the Minister of Economy for to issue the relevant resolution within the next 15 working days. The official shall decide with only the view of the respective file.

The resolution issued by the Minister may be brought under review, before the same official, within three working days, counted from the following the respective notification. The official will resolve with only the view of the file.

The resolution imposing a penalty of fine will have executive force; the infringer must cancel it, within three working days of the notification; otherwise certification of the same to the Attorney General of the Republic to be made effective, in accordance with the common procedures. What is perceived will be paid to the General Fund of the Nation.

The penalties provided for in this Law shall be imposed, without prejudice to the criminal liability to which it may occur; in which case the Ministry shall be obliged to inform the relevant to the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Republic, to exercise the corresponding actions in this respect.

Art. 73.- Where a concession, licence or authorisation is left without effect, the person concerned must suspend the exercise of the activity in question within a maximum of three months in the case of a concession, and eight days in the case of a licence or authorization, counted from the day of the notification of the respective resolution. In case of not voluntarily executing the act that orders the expiration or revocation, it will be executed with the support of the public force, if necessary.

CHAPTER XI TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENT AND VALIDITY

Rules Transient

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Art. 74.- long as the national technical standards referred to in Art. 59 are not in force, internationally standardized techniques can be applied through codes and standards such as those published by: NFPA (National Fire Protection). Association)-National Association for Fire Protection-NFPA; ACI (American Concrete Institute)-American Institute of the Concrete ACI; API (American Petroleum Institute)-American Institute of Petroleum API; ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers)-American Society of Civil Engineers ASCE; ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers)-American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME; ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials),-American Society for Testing and Materials ASTM; CGA (Compressed Gas Association),-CGA Compressed Gas Association; CSA (Canadian Standards Associations)-Association of Canadian Standards CSA; GRI (Gas Research Institute)-GRI Gas Research Institute; IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) -Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers IEEE; NACE (National Association of Corrosion Engineers Publications)- National Association of Engineers in NACE Corrosion.

In accordance with Article 9 literal (a), in the respective application, you will have to express what are the internationally standardized techniques that are intended to be applied for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the activity. Such rules shall be approved by the competent authority. However, and even when national technical standards are issued, it will not affect the application that has been made of the international standards indicated in the previous paragraph.

Regulations

Art. 75.- The President of the Republic shall issue the regulations implementing this Law, within a period of one hundred and twenty days, counted from the validity of this Decree.

Vigencia.

Art. 76.- This Decree shall enter into force eight days after its publication in the Official Journal.

GIVEN IN THE BLUE HALL OF THE LEGISLATIVE PALACE: San Salvador, at the twenty-second day of May of the year two thousand eight.

RUBEN ORELLANA MENDOZA, PRESIDENT.

ROLANDO ALVARENGA ARGUETA, FRANCISCO ROBERTO LORENZANA DURAN, VICE-PRESIDENT. VICE PRESIDENT.

JOSÉ RAFAEL MACHUCA ZELAYA, RODOLFO ANTONIO PARKER SOTO, VICE-PRESIDENT. VICE PRESIDENT.

ENRIQUE ALBERTO LUIS VALDES SOTO, MANUEL ORLANDO QUINTEROS AGUILAR, SECRETARY. SECRETARY.

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JOSÉ ANTONIO ALMENDARIZ RIVAS, ROBERTO JOSÉ D' AUBUISSON MUNGUÍA, SECRETARY. SECRETARY.

ZOILA BEATRIZ QUIJADA SOLIS, SECRETARY.

CASA PRESIDENTIAL: San Salvador, on the thirteenth day of June of the year two thousand eight.

PUBESQUIESE,

ELIAS ANTONIO SACA GONZÁLEZ, President of the Republic.

Yolanda Eugenia Mayora de Gavidia, Minister of Economy.

D. O. No. 115 Took Nº 379 Date: June 20, 2008.

CGC/adar