The president of the YPF, Paolo Gonzalezon Thursday highlighted the importance of building infrastructure works, warning that “Argentina is producing more energy than it can carry”, during the debate cycle Democracy and development organized by Clarione.
“We come to raise the absolute need to invest in transport infrastructure. Argentina is producing more energy than it can carry “Gonzalez pointed out.
González and Marcos Bulgheroni, CEO of Pan American Energy Group, participated in the panel entitled “The role and challenges of integrated companies”.
After insisting on the importance of infrastructure works, González focused on the announcement he will make this Thursday afternoon together with president Alberto Fernándezwhich includes an agreement with Petronas, the Malaysian state company.
“What we will announce in the afternoon, the possibility of transform Argentina into a player in the global gas market, as a net exporter of gas, taking into account this potential we are talking about. We are very pleased to ratify the partnership with Petronas, one of the most important companies in the world, “he said.
This is an agreement for the construction of a liquefaction plant in which a initial investment of $ 10,000 millionwhich could reach 40,000 in ten years.
Regarding that alliance, after the panel, González gave details and announced that the location has not yet been defined, although it will be “between Río Negro or Bahía Blanca”.
“The initial $ 10,000 million determines the phase of increasing gas production, a 600-kilometer pipeline and a port. YPF has 50% with Petronas and is a project open to others investors, “the official said.
And he continued: “The development engineering has a duration of two years, then there are four more, there will be two regasifiers once the pipeline is finished and in six years they will start exporting through the portof the plant that will be built throughout this phase “.
González took the opportunity to criticize Mauricio Macri’s government: “Between 2016 and 2019, no one came to invest And today we are going to announce that a world-class company will accompany this growth and it must be a state policy, because this government is going to start it, the next one is going to follow it, and the other is going to finish it. Until we start exporting, it will be six years “.
He also pointed out against the previous administration when he focused on the “great opportunity” that the energy sector represents for the country.
“Sometimes sanctions are lifted. Between 2016 and 2019 YPF had a 20% drop in production in barrels equivalent,” said González, and he immediately stressed that “at that time there were companies that grew” .
In view of the future, he specified that one of the central objectives is “to grow in the production of oil and gas but do not neglect to invest in renewables (energy), which is the key to strengthening the system, because the situation must be taken into consideration. of the environment “.
González was born on June 13, 1968, is a lawyer and politician of the Justicialist Party. in 2021 was appointed president of the YPF by Alberto Fernández. Previously, he was a national senator (2011-2015) and national deputy (from 2019) for the province of Santa Cruz. Between 2015 and 2019 he was Lieutenant Governor alongside Alicia Kirchner.
He began his career as a consultant to the Santa Cruz State Water and Energy Company Servicios Públicos Sociedad del Estado. He headed Distrigas SA and was Santa Cruz Under-Secretary of Tax Resources for the last few years of Néstor Kirchner’s administration. He was a Public Prosecutor from 2003 to 2007, until his appointment as Minister of the Government of the province.
He was later elected provincial deputy and first vice president of the Santa Cruz Chamber of Deputies. He also headed the head of ministers under Daniel Peralta’s government. In 2014 he became a member of the Council of the Judiciary of the Nation representing the upper house.
Source: Clarin
