The Reversal work of the Northern Gas Pipeline, an essential project to transfer gas from Vaca Muerta to the provinces of La Rioja, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán, Catamarca, Salta, Jujuy and Córdoba, is in full progress and is expected to be completed. finished in september. This initiative seeks to make up for the decrease in gas supply from Bolivia, which currently cannot satisfy its own demand. The completion of this project will be essential not only for home use, but also to guarantee the generation of electricity in the thermal power plants in the north of the country.
It should be noted that the Reversion of the North Gasduct is a complementary work to the Presidente Néstor Kirchner Gasduct, which will enable the scale development of new industrial activities, especially lithium mining. Another fundamental factor to take into account is that, with this work, significant foreign currency savings will be achieved and gas will be able to be exported to countries in the region.
The project also stands out for being the only public work prioritized by the current national government, due to its strategic relevance. The work, which covers seven provinces in the center and north of the country, is largely financed by the Development Bank of Latin America, through a loan of 540 million dollars. This financing will allow the growing production of unconventional gas from Vaca Muerta, located in the Neuquén Basin, to be distributed to the northern provinces.
Another relevant point of this work lies in its contribution to the energy transition of the country towards less polluting fuel sources. Once completed, the infrastructure will be able to transport approximately 16 million cubic meters of gas per day, thus strengthening the country’s energy security.
So far, the regular line welding of sections 2 and 3 of the gas pipeline has been completed, covering the first 100 kilometers of the Federal Integration Gas Pipeline, which extends from Tío Pujio to La Carlota, in the province of Córdoba. With the aim of accelerating construction times, a system of automatic weldingsimilar to that used in the Argentine Northeast Gasduct (GPNK): this method has made it possible to carry out 4,059 welds in just 41 days.
Currently, work continues with the construction of the remaining 22 kilometers of the gas pipeline, in addition to 62 kilometers of loops in the Northern Gas Pipeline, near Ferreyra and the city of Córdoba. In addition, the reversal of four compressor plants is also being carried out, with a completion date scheduled for the end of August.
