By an OGJ correspondent
LIMA, July 27 -- Peru's Camisea consortium is preparing to inaugurate its 250 MMcfd natural gas complex in early August as it continues testing operations for the official event.
The first event will be held Aug. 5 at the Malvinas natural gas fields on the eastern slopes of the Andes. A second event will be at the Lurin city gate outside Lima, and a third in Pisco on the south coast at the consortium's terminal and fractionation plant.
The consortium is headed by Argentine's Pluspetrol as the operator in the upstream and includes Hunt Oil Corp., South Korea's SK Corp., and Algieria's Sonatrach.
Camisea began pumping gas along the 730 km pipeline at the beginning of June and filled up by early this month.
Sales are expected to begin at a rate of 80 MMcfd of gas, mainly for generating electric power starting with Spain's Etevensa natural gas-fired plant and a small group of industries. Camisea partners won the contract in a tender in December 2000 against France's Total SA, the only other bidder.
