Cordillerano-Patagónico Gas Pipeline

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Cordillerano-Patagónico Gas Pipeline, also known as the Sistema Cordillerano-Patagónico, is a gas pipeline system in Argentina.

Location

The northern "Cordillerano" section of the pipeline system runs from Plaza Huincul (Neuquén province) to Esquel (Chubut province), Argentina. The southern "Patagónico" section of the pipeline runs from Esquel to Comodoro Rivadavia, Chubut province, Argentina.

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Project Details: Cordillerano Pipeline

• Operator: TGS (Transportadora de Gas del Sur SA)
• Owner: CIESA-Compañía de Inversiones de Energía SA (51%), FGS-ANSES-Administración Nacional de la Seguridad Social (24%), NYSE-New York Stock Exchange (12%), BYMA-Bolsas y Mercados Argentinos SA (8%), Other (5%)
• Parent Company: Pampa Energía SA (25.5%), PEPCA SA (GIP-Grupo Inversor Petroquímica SL and PCT LLC) (25.5%), Government of Argentina (24%), NYSE-New York Stock Exchange (12%), BYMA-Bolsas y Mercados Argentinos SA (8%), Other (5%)
• Capacity: 1.327 MMcm/d
• Length: 940 km / 584 miles
• Diameter: 8 inches, 12 inches
• Status: Operating
• Start Year: 1986

Project Details: Patagónico Pipeline

• Operator: Camuzzi Gas del Sur SA
• Owner: Camuzzi Gas del Sur SA
• Parent company: Camuzzi Gas
• Capacity: 1 MMcm/d
• Length: 600 km / 373 miles
• Diameter: 10 inches, 12 inches
• Status: Operating
• Start Year: 2006

Background

The Cordillerano-Patagónico system supplies natural gas to 25 population centers in the provinces of Neuquén, Rio Negro and Chubut. The original pipeline was built in two sections, which intersect in Esquel, Chubut province, Argentina.

Construction of the initial 339-kilometer section of the Cordillerano Pipeline between Plaza Huincul, Bariloche and San Martín de los Andes began in 1984 and was completed in 1986. The pipeline was subsequently extended to Esquel, providing service to several communities in Río Negro and Chubut provinces. By 2004, the pipeline's capacity had increased to 1.327 MMcm/d.

Construction of the southern Patagónico Pipeline was completed in 2006, adding 600 kilometers to the system with another 1 million cubic meters of capacity.

Two main injection points feed the pipeline; the first, at Collón Curá, uses gas from Plaza Huincul, while the other, near Esquel, uses gas from the Golfo de San Jorge. Gas for the Patagónico pipeline is also sourced from the Cerro Dragon Oil and Gas Field west of Comodoro Rivadavia.

The network's northern section (the Cordillerano Pipeline) is operated by TGS (Transportadora Gas del Sur, which is controlled by Buenos Aires-based Pampa Energía).

The southern section (the Patagónico Pipeline) is operated by Camuzzi Gas del Sur.

Expansion Project Details

• Owner: Enarsa (Energía Argentina SA)
• Capacity: 300,000 cubic meters per day
• Length: 136 km / 85 miles
• Status: Construction
• Start Year:

Expansion Project

An expansion of the Cordillerano-Patagónico gas pipeline was announced in 2014, due to sustained growth in demand for natural gas and insufficient capacity of the existing pipeline. The project's stated objective was to expand capacity of the system to meet the demand generated by 22,000 additional users and new industrial parks under construction at the time. The project was expected to cost $100 million with an estimated execution time of 18 months.

The proposed expansion included installation of a compressor station in the town of Río Senguer with a capacity of 3,000 hp, along with several new sections of pipeline, as follows:

• 5.5 miles (9 km) of 16-inch pipeline
• 39 miles (62.7 km) of 12-inch pipeline
• 16 miles (26 km) of 10-inch pipeline
• 2.2 miles (3.5 km) of 8-inch pipeline
• 20.2 miles (32.5 km) of 6-inch pipeline

In June 2017, Argentina's Ministry of Energy awarded construction contracts to three firms: Siat, Siderca and Royo. The 22,000 new users to be served by the pipeline expansion would be in the provinces of Chubut, Río Negro y Neuquén. Communities targeted for the expansion in Chubut province include Esquel, Trevelin, Lago Puelo, Epuyén and Gobernador Costa.

In July 2018, amid rumors that the pipeline expansion had been halted, Gustavo Menna, a national deputy from Chubut province, asserted that construction work had been proceeding steadily since November 2, 2017, and that the pipeline expansion was 48% complete.

At a January 2019 ceremony in Bariloche (Río Negro province), Argentine president Mauricio Macri inaugurated the first stage of the pipeline expansion. According to Argentina's energy agency IEASA, the new infrastructure comprised 141 km of new pipes in 13 loops expected to serve 10,000 households, with an additional 12,000 households to be connected upon completion of construction at the Río Senger compressor station. News reports indicated that seven of the expansion project's nine sections were operational as of January 2019, with two still awaiting completion.

However, according to multiple news reports published between July 2022 and May 2023, the Río Senguer compressor station and other improvements to the Patagónico Pipeline remained incomplete, due to contract disputes and communications breakdowns between pipeline operator Camuzzi Gas del Sur SA and various government agencies.

In May 2024, the provincial governors of Neuquén, Río Negro and Chubut met with Argentina's energy secretary and officials from Enargas, Enarsa and Camuzzi Gas to announce a resumption of the pipeline expansion project. The participants signed an agreement calling for 50% of the project's funding to be provided by Río Negro province, with the remaining 50% split equally between Neuquén and Chubut.