in 2002, eduardo duhalde fixed the prices for public services such as electricity, gas and water supply. these remained fixed during the terms of duhalde and néstor and cristina kirchner, despite the crisis that motivated them having ended. as the inflation rate grew during the period, the state financed part of these prices with subsidies. investment in these areas decreased, and the generation and distribution networks suffered. argentina lost its self-supply of energy, and had to import it, rather than being able to export surpluses.