Agustín Gerez: “The vortex of politics sometimes leads to a relapse, as happens with the former minister Kulfas”

After the public interrogation and the lawsuit that was closed, Energía Argentina – the state company in charge of the construction of the gas pipeline for Vaca Muerta – signed the contract for the supply of pipes with Siat, of Techint.

“It is the fundamental requirement of the project”, he defines it Agostino Gerez, President of the company. “The pipeline program is tailored to what we need. Deliveries start in late September / early October and finish in February ”, he specifies.

-After the award of the pipes, Energía Argentina has an ongoing tender for valves and civil works, of 220,000 million dollars. “The idea is that they combine the construction process with the delivery of the tubes,” he explains. Clarione interviewed Gerez.

-How did everything that happened with Kulfas impact the construction of the pipeline?

-I would have liked a communication from the former minister to be able to confirm with him the statements he had made, but I understood that the vortex of politics leads to saying things that need to be turned back, as happens with the prime minister.

Did the court case complicate the progress of the work?

With the assignment carried out by the court it was possible to clarify something that we already knew that the technical conditions we had put in the tender were adequate for this type of projects. After listening to all the specialists in the sector, we understood that we could go on.

-What has stopped or the award to Techint, which was signed only on Thursday, when the race was won two months ago?

The acts following the notification of the award also involve the negotiation of the details, which can generate some delays. The BCRA resolution remained where it guaranteed Siat (by Techint) the possibility of accessing the foreign exchange market to import the goods they brought from abroad.

-Why did Antonio Pronsato, who played a key role in a phase, leave?

The construction of the pipeline is entrusted to the company. And the company carries on all its technical resources and the competence of its technical resources. Engineer Pronsato was a collaborator on more of our teams, but no collaborator, no professional, not even I am above what the president of the nation, which is the pipeline project, instructed us. The progress of the projects is consolidated with teamwork and political will, never doubted.

-That former collaborator today says that the works will finish in October 2023.

-This is another opinion about him as an industry analyst. There are also other analysts and specialists who give their opinion. It’s another rumor. We continue with our program, in response to what has been stated, which is to make this pipeline operational by June 20, 2023.

next steps

-What happened with the valve tender?

The offers did not comply with the steps provided and we declared it void. We will do another bidding process. What we are analyzing is the availability of the valves, to have them by the end of the year or the beginning of the year. The new bidding process will have other conditions, which will allow for delivery in February (2023).

– Are there no building permits for the construction of the pipeline?

-We have already started work on permits. It is necessary to contact the land registers of the provinces to request information from the surface owners and contact them to obtain in the first instance the passage permit that allows the work to begin. We started it and then the companies that won the construction tender continue.

-Is the pipeline budget guaranteed?

– We have approximately $ 140 billion in items and other budget contributions. We are going through a budget-free fiscal year. We have to wait for next year’s budget. Funds are guaranteed to give greater scope to the whole process.