The construction BTUsFrom Carlos Mundinsubmitted the cheapest offers for the first section of reversal of the Northern Gas PipelineAND it’s a favorite in economic terms to beat two heavyweights in the sector: the Transitory Business Union (UTE) composed of Techint and SACDE, by Paolo Rocca and Damián Mindlin – Marcelo’s brother – and Pumpcothe company of the Mas brothers, owners of InterMiamiwhere he plays Leo Messi.
The reversal of the North Pipeline is the only mega public work that will remain standing this year, in the midst of fiscal adjustment and Javier Milei’s chainsaw. It has a total budgeted cost of $713 million and is vital to the supply of gas and electricity to homes, businesses and industries in Córdoba, Tucumán, La Rioja, Catamarca, Santiago del Estero, Salta and Jujuywhich could be at serious risk this year.
Energy supply and imports
Due to the decline in production, Starting August 1, Bolivia will stop supplying natural gas to Argentina under stable (uninterruptible) conditions after 17 yearsa contract was signed in 2006 by Néstor Kirchner and Evo Morales and came into force in January 2007. Without that fuel, the thermoelectric power plants in the north of the country would not be able to produce energy, so this work is crucial.
Originally, the reversal of the North, with a capacity of 19 million m3 per day (MMm3/d) of gas transport, was supposed to be ready in May of this year, although the timing was extremely challenging. The process of the 2023 elections and the economic dismemberment of Argentina after the post-PASO devaluation have buried that idea and now The work could be only partially completed in August, and completed in June 2025.
Given that Vaca Muerta gas – local jobs, taxes and royalties for the Nation and the provinces – will not arrive in timethe options that the Ministry of Energy has in its portfolio must be addressed gas imports through Chile – which does not produce it, but purchases Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and regasifies it in the Pacific Ocean – or carries out a triangulation with Bolivia and Brazil. Since Bolivia prioritizes local supply and exports to Brazil before Argentina, the country ruled by Lula Da Silva could be asked to release that quota and be supplied with LNG purchased from Enarsa but unloaded in San Pablo.
Furthermore, the process of worsening the economic crisis has added another problem: The compressor systems (PC) of the President Néstor Kirchner (GPNK) gas pipeline have not yet been completed. of Vaca Muerta, which would add 10 MMm3/d of transport capacity to the system, in addition to the 11 MMm3/d that the pipeline can already inject.
The PCs of Treatyof SACDE, e Salliqueloby the construction company Esuco, have a progress of works of 65% and 40% respectively, and the Treasury is recording strong delays in payments to continue the works, as for the entire energy sector. The systems should have been completed in spring last year. Every day this winter that they are not operating, Argentina loses import savings of around $10 millionindustry sources estimate.
Inversion of the North, the latest public work
Sections 2 and 3 (100 kilometers of pipeline) had previously been awarded to Techint and SACDE, while the first section had to be re-contracted and was divided into two tenders.
This part of the tender was divided into “line 1”, which consists of the construction of 22 kilometers of the Federal Integration pipeline between the cities of Tío Pujio and La Carlota (in Cordoba)with 36 inch diameter pipes, while “row 2” consists of the installation of two loops (expansions) parallel to the North Gas Pipeline, 62 km long, with pipes with a diameter of 30 inches.
The state company Argentine Energy (Enarsa), the client of the work, opened the economic offers this Wednesday, after having accepted the technical offers of the three companies. Last year, the American Pumpco allied itself with Vittorio Contrerasbut the offer was declared void because the other proposals were well over budget.
BTU presented the cheapest offers in both lines: 74,003 million dollars and 83,541 million dollars respectively, for a total of $157,544 millionincreasingly value added tax (VAT).
The UTE of Rocca and Mindlin instead valued their proposals at 86,768 million dollars and 138,221 million dollars respectively, for an amount of 212,750 million dollars (for a special discount in case of award of both lines) plus VAT.
And the construction company of Lionel Messi’s bosses, for its part, calculated respectively 88,291 million dollars and 133,823 million dollars, for a total of 222,115 million dollars plus VAT. According to industry sources, Pumpco once again had to “fight” to be technically eligible.
Next week, Monday 18th, the technical offers for the other tender will be opened, for the cancellation of compression systems in the province of Córdoba, Santiago del Estero and Salta, on the laying of the main gas pipeline Northern Gas Transmission Company (TGN). This company, which also belongs to Rocca and the General Fuel Company (CGC, di Eduardo Eurnekian) will soon receive a tariff increase and is willing to speed up work with that money to stop gas imports.
The turning point of the North is 75% financed. Development Bank of Latin America (former Corporation for Andean Development, CAF) for 540 million US dollars and the State was expected to draw on a trust fund from the Wholesale Electricity Market Administration Company (Cammesa) for 173 million dollars, made up of funds deriving from electricity exports during recent summers. Today, however, Cammesa doesn’t have that money, because he had to use it to pay off the debt with the generators.
SN
Source: Clarin
