The Argentine government is seeking to tender the expansion of the 'Perito Francisco Pascasio Moreno' gas pipeline "as soon as possible" to transport an additional 14 million cubic meters of natural gas per day from Vaca Muerta to Buenos Aires Province, according to official sources.
To move forward with the tender, the government issued a decree in the Official Gazette declaring the private initiative of Transportadora Gas del Sur (TGS) to expand the "Perito Moreno Gas Pipeline"—formerly known as the President Néstor Kirchner Pipeline—of "public interest." The expansion aims to increase gas transport capacity, particularly to the Litoral region in eastern Argentina.
Energy Secretary María Tettamanti stated on Monday during an interview at the Energy Day event that the goal is to "work very hard" on the tender documents to launch the process "as soon as possible."
According to a statement from the Energy Secretariat, the project will require an investment of $500 million.
The initiative will increase the natural gas transport capacity by 14 million cubic meters per day from Tratayén in Neuquén Province to Salliqueló in Buenos Aires Province, adding to the 21 million cubic meters already being transported, for a total of 35 million cubic meters per day along the entire route.
The government assessed that the initiative will provide the Litoral region with additional volumes of natural gas, enabling the replacement of natural gas and liquid fuel imports during the winter months and generating annual savings of $645 million for the national government.
TGS submitted this proposal to the Ministry of Economy last June under the Incentive Regime for Large Investments (RIGI), a regulatory framework offering predictability, fiscal incentives, and legal guarantees for 30 years to attract investment projects exceeding $200 million.
