Vicuñas Gas Pipeline

This article is part of the Global Fossil Infrastructure Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

Sub-articles:

FrackSwarm portal Coal terminals Coal transport and infrastructure Oil and gas pipelines LNG terminals Pipeline construction costs Methodology and data notes

Vicuñas Gas Pipeline is a proposed fossil gas pipeline in northern Argentina.

Location

The proposed pipeline would run from a junction with the NorAndino Gas Pipeline in Jujuy province to various mines in Jujuy, Salta and northern Catamarca provinces.

Loading map...

{"type":"ROADMAP","minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"types":["ROADMAP","SATELLITE","HYBRID","TERRAIN"],"mappingservice":"googlemaps3","width":"400px","height":"300px","centre":{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":-24.41,"lon":-65.81,"icon":""},"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","strokeColor":"#FF0000","strokeOpacity":"1","strokeWeight":"2","pos":[{"lat":-25.42092,"lon":-67.18419},{"lat":-23.411714,"lon":-64.334061}]}],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"visitedicon":"","wmsoverlay":false,"zoom":7,"layers":[],"controls":["pan","zoom","type","scale","streetview","rotate"],"zoomstyle":"DEFAULT","typestyle":"DEFAULT","autoinfowindows":false,"resizable":false,"kmlrezoom":false,"poi":true,"cluster":false,"clustergridsize":60,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clusteraveragecenter":true,"clusterminsize":2,"imageoverlays":[],"kml":[],"gkml":[],"searchmarkers":"","fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":false,"locations":[]}

Project Details

• Operator: Transportadora de Gas del Norte S.A. (TGN)
• Owner: GasInvest SA (56%), Southern Cone Energy Holding Company Inc (24%), Bolsas y Mercados Argentinos SA (20%)
• Parent Company: Tecpetrol SL (28%), CGC-Compañía General de Combustibles (28%), Southern Cone Energy Holding Company Inc (24%), Bolsas y Mercados Argentinos SA (20%)
• Capacity: 4 million cubic meters per day (1.46 bcm/y)
• Length: 304 kilometers
• Diameter: 12 inches, 16 inches
• Status: Proposed
• Start Year: 2026
• Associated infrastructure:
  • NorAndino Gas Pipeline
  • Gasoducto Norte Gas Pipeline

Background

The Vicuñas pipeline was proposed in 2023 by TGN, one of Argentina's largest pipeline operators, as a means to send gas from Argentina's Vaca Muerta formation to lithium, copper and gold mining operations in the northwestern Argentine provinces of Jujuy, Salta and Catamarca. Gas would be transported north from Vaca Muerta via the Néstor Kirchner gas pipeline (commissioned in July 2023) and the Gasoducto Norte, which was scheduled to have its direction of flow reversed to begin running from south to north in 2024. Early plans called for the new 300-kilometer pipeline to be partially financed with funds from Chinese mining companies operating in Argentina.

As of December 2023, TGN was engaged in preliminary administrative procedures, with intentions to sign fuel transport contracts, finalize the pipeline's route, purchase materials and begin mobilizing equipment in 2024. The pipeline was to comprise 154 km of 16-inch pipe and 150 km of 12-inch pipe. Construction was expected to take less than two years, with commercial operations beginning in 2026.