Work on the project, presented as the largest in the local gas industry in the last 40 years, was completed in less than a year.
Argentina inaugurates this Sunday Section I of the President Nestor Kirchner Gas Pipeline (GPNK), promoted by the current Peronist government as the gas transportation work largest in the last 40 yearsin a symbolic act that coincides with the Independence Day of the South American nation.
The ceremony, which will take place in the city of Salliquelo (Buenos Aires province), will include the participation of the president Alberto Fernandezthe vice president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchnerand the Minister of Economy and the presidential candidate of the ruling party, Sergio Massa.
The GPNK, named in honor of the late former president Nestor Kirchner (2003-2007), extends throughout 573 kilometers and will allow gas to be transported from the Vaca Muerta field, considered the second unconventional gas reservoir in the world. The works, which began in September of last year, completed in record time.
To build the first section, some 48,000 pipes were laid of 36 inches of 12 meters long, while 2,300 heavy machinery were mobilized. It is estimated that a total of 2,524 million dollars was injected for the first stage and complementary works. The state company Energia Argentina (Enarsa) was in charge of the works in cooperation with the private contractors Techint, Sacde and BTU, according to the Telam agency.
➡️ The process of sweeping, pressurizing and filling the first section of this work has finished, which will allow gas to be transported from Vaca Muerta, ensuring the supply of gas to homes in times of high demand and enabling its export. 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/SQw2kUQQWA
– Secretary of Energy (@Energia_Ar) July 8, 2023
The first stage, which begins in the town of Tratayen (Neuquen), crosses Rio Negro and La Pampa and reaches Salliquelo, in the province of Buenos Aires, connects the GPNK with the Neuba I and II gas pipelineswhich will make it possible to expand the gas distribution capacity in Argentine territory.
Apart from other objectives, the main goal of the GPNK project, which will also include a second stage about to be tendered, is to gradually supply all domestic demand with gas, which will allow achieve self-sufficiency of the nation.
From the Fernandez Executive they assure that the launching of the first section, which requires 25 million cubic meters of gas for its filling, will also result in the creation of 48,800 direct or indirect jobs. Furthermore, official calculations suggest that some 4.2 billion dollars will be saved during the first year of operation of the tranche for import substitution.
Source: RT
