The head of the gas pipeline project Néstor Kirchner has resigned

Antony Prosanto, a former collaborator of Julio De Vido (Minister of Planning between 2003 and 2015), separate from Ieasa. This state-owned company manages the construction of the gas pipeline that connects Vaca Muerta to Buenos Aires.

The officer’s resignation was not confirmed by the company, but by other official sources. Prosanto himself told “La Nación” that he would not stay with the company, according to that publication.

Some companies interested in construction work describe Prosanto as a “key” figure in the process. But other executives involved in the process say Agustín Gérez’s team — the leader of Ieasa — could have continued to move forward without Prosanto, as he did not have a position that gave him primacy over the decisions of that task.

Recently, a funding contract was signed for the gas pipeline. Agustín Gérez, general manager of the company, and Gastón Leydet, deputy general manager, did it.

Although among the companies there was some concern about the continuation of the project, within the government there was more silence. The Secretary of Energy, Darío Martínez, considers it “key” and says he has the support of the Minister of the Economy, Martín Guzmán.

“This work is one of the greatest importance in history for our country, thus contributing to the residential, commercial and industrial sectors to access competitive energy prices to achieve full employment and production,” Gérez said recently. .

“The deadlines are being met. The awards of the pipes have been made. The anchor is there. The details for the civil works are being prepared. Everything is based on expectations,” they said to the Government.

IEASA oversees the construction of the gas pipeline (whose name is President Néstor Kirchner) and the works of the Transport.AR Program, which includes, in addition to the aforementioned gas pipeline, other expansions of the natural transportation system. gas.

Ieasa paearn more than US $ 600 million for the pipeline. The only applicant was Tenaris, part of the Techint group.

The purchase will be used for the construction of a gas pipeline that will go from Vaca Muerta to Salliqueló, in the province of Buenos Aires. This is the first section of this project.

Now comes the tender for civil works, that is, the construction itself.

In total, they are at US $ 1,500 million. In the Government they believe that everything will be ready by mid-2023. In this way, it is possible to reduce LNG imports in the coming winter.

The connection between Vaca Muerta and Buenos Aires is considered key for gas producers. The companies say there is enough gas in Neuquén’s generation to cover domestic demand for decades, and there is even huge export potential.

The State will pay an initial close to 40% of the total to the supplier of the pipes, which must be delivered this year, within a period between three and four months after the advance payment.

The tender is negotiated in pesos, and the companies use the official exchange rate for their projections.

The budget for this gas pipeline has already generated some controversy. The Secretary of Energy, Darío Martínez, wrote to the Minister of the Economy, Martín Guzman that “the need to carry out basic tasks is necessary, such as the President Néstor Kirchner gas pipeline, the only way to alleviate the energy crisis in which we is already submerged.due to the lack of gas infrastructure to evacuate existing production. ”Later, the official said he had settled his disputes with Guzmán.

Funding for the first phase of the gas pipeline came from the so -called Wealth Tax. That’s where the creation of this project was founded, along with part of that recognition collection. Once the money was collected, it was withheld by the National Treasury and never transferred to Ieasa, which was responsible for the work.