Because Kirchnerism, Martín Guzmán and businessmen cannot agree

The construction of the gas pipeline that will connect Vaca Muerta with Buenos Aires has sparked controversy among the sources of the Argentina Ministry of Productive Development and Energythe state company that takes care of the works. The budget at stake is no exception: it does not drop below 1,600 million dollars.

Energía Argentina is led by Agustín Gerez, a young lawyer from Santa Cruz who is enrolled in the register Christianity. The official has the support of Federico Basualdo, the Undersecretary of Electricity that the Istituto Patria usually supports in the sun and in the shade, known to be a sort of antagonist of Martín Guzmán, the Minister of Economy who wanted to remove him from that post and may not. .

The construction of the pipeline has always been in the orbit of Energía Argentina. However, in mid-March, the Energy Secretary -Darío Martínez- had to intervene. By letter, asked Guzmán to allocate funds for that project. She said she had $ 100 million but needed $ 600 million. Martínez later closed the incident, without much explanation.

The first tender launched by Energía Argentina concerned the supply of pipes. So much was expected Techint as Chinese companies submit offers. “There were requests from 6 companies, but then only SIAT SA submitted an offer,” the company reported. In early May, the pipeline was awarded to Siat (of Techint), for an amount of US $ 600 million.

The state company was about to shell out the advance, but it depends on the economy and the central bank to keep going. The dollars, according to company executives, would not have arrived yet.

The question about the inches of the pipeline pipes has infuriated Energy Argentina, where Christianity prevails. “Before starting the tender procedure, Energía Argentina asked the Argentine Chamber of Steel Pipe and Tubing Manufacturers to indicate which companies could meet these technical requirements. The answer was that only SIAT complied with it, “they said in a statement.” The Industrial Laminates Company is unknown in the industry, “they added, referring to the alleged predilection of production development for that company, which specializes in tubes. with other thumbs.

The accusation of Productive Development – of “tailor-made contract” – comes in an unusual week in the public exhibition of the Antonio Pronsato pipeline, who was working on that project and was a consultant for many companies, he left without giving reasons for his resignation. In Kirchnerism there are two justifications for this: one is that it was trying to benefit trusted businessmen (Productive Development picked up on this topic a bit on Saturday) and another is that it was personal matters, where Pronsato was not a part of it. ‘accord with the timing of the project.

Why did Cristina question Techint if her officials chose a Techint company?

At Energía Argentina they knew that the company’s local production would be insufficient for the entire project. They assumed that the metallurgical giant would bring pipes from plants it owns in other countries, such as Brazil. The vice president’s reproach to the president is that Alberto Fernández did not take advantage of the fact that Techint won a millionaire ($ 600 million) contract to talk to the owners of the metallurgical firm about the possibility of bringing a rolling mill to the nation.

But the tensions are amplified, facing a subsequent phase. These are the disagreements over what is called the “lion’s share” of the pipeline: the construction of civil works.

That “heart” of the project will require nearly $ 1,000 million and all the large local construction companies look at it with interest.

Marcelo Mindlinthe owner of Pampa y Sacde, a construction company, is one of those who want to be part of the project. Techint you also want to make an offer and there are many more who are following the process closely.

“Gerez’s team is very executive. They work from very early to very late, there is a continuous back and forth, ”described a businessman who follows the evolution of the next race almost minute by minute.

In order for the construction work to be carried out more quickly, Energía Argentina is considering the assignment of different sections to various companies. That way, they suppose, everything could be done faster and reach the state-owned company’s goal by the middle of next year.

A ruling party source said there were some ideas from Pronsato – the resigned adviser – that the rest of the government didn’t like. In particular, creating more tranches could open the game to more construction companies. Among these, CPC, the construction company of Cristóbal López.

There is a point where the accusations of Production and those of some members of the ruling party coincide. The portfolio managed by Matías Kulfas slipped saying that “they also assigned the supply of valves to an importer company rather than an Argentine manufacturer offering similar prices and conditions, violating the domestic purchase”. Energía Argentina replied that “the tender procedure for the acquisition of the valves are still open and will be declared unsuccessful by Energía Argentina because none of the offers received meet the required delivery deadlines”.

But there is an official of the ruling party – and of the Kirchnerist kidney – who also speculated that the entrusting of valves to a foreign company was very close to materializing. And that behind that possibility was Pronsato, which now Energía Argentina considers excluded.

The departure of the official considered “key” has not yet been clarified. Pronsato was the controller of Enargas during Julio De Vido’s administration as Minister of Planning. With Federico Bernal, current controller of the same body, he no longer had a good dialogue. Pronsato, who has worked in the private sector, is characterized by being outgoing and expressing his anger in public when he doesn’t feel comfortable with someone. Perhaps those personality traits may also have worked against him at this stage of increased political correctness in dealing with subordinates.