Argentina inaugurated the reversal of the Gasoducto Norte pipeline, which for nearly two decades enabled natural gas imports from Bolivia and will now supply northern and central Argentina as well as allow exports to Brazil from Vaca Muerta.
The project, started last year and completed two months ahead of schedule, involved a 62-kilometer extension of the Gasoducto Norte Pipeline, the reversal of gas injection flow in four existing compressor stations, and the construction of a 122-kilometer pipeline in the province of Córdoba (central Argentina).
The project required an investment of $710 million, of which $540 million was financed through a loan from CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America.
The reversal of flow in the pipelines now enables gas transport from Vaca Muerta, located in southwestern Argentina, to the provinces of Córdoba, Tucumán, La Rioja, Catamarca, Santiago del Estero, Salta, and Jujuy, serving the demand from power generation plants, industries, and households.
Additionally, this will allow Argentina to export natural gas to Brazil, first using the Gasoducto Norte Pipeline and then Bolivia's pipeline network that extends into Brazilian territory.
After two decades of gas purchase contracts with Bolivia, Argentina ceased importing gas from that country last month, a milestone made possible by increasing production volumes in Vaca Muerta, the world’s second-largest reserve of unconventional gas and the fourth-largest of this type of oil.
