Argentina’s Energy Secretariat has approved natural gas exports to the Brazilian industrial market using Bolivian pipeline infrastructure to reach the border at Corumbá in Mato Grosso do Sul.
Pan American Energy (PAE) received authorization to export up to 500,000 cu m/d under an interruptible contract to its Brazilian subsidiary. Additionally, PAE is permitted to export up to 300,000 cu m/d to Tradener, having also secured approval from Brazil’s ANP to operate as a gas marketer in the country.
Currently, PAE produces around 18 million cu m/day (MMcmd) of gas in Argentina, with plans to double output over the next 3 years, focusing on Vaca Muerta, where it operates Aguada Pichana Oeste, Coirón Amargo Sur Este, Aguada de Castro, Aguada de Cánepa, and Lindero Atravesado fields.
TotalEnergies has been authorized to export up to 2 MMcmd to Brazil under an interruptible contract. This gas will be sold to Matrix Energy Participacoes from August 2023 through July 2025 at a price of $9.18/MMbtu at the Bolivian border.
In addition to its Vaca Muerta operations (Aguada Pichana Este), TotalEnergies holds assets in Tierra del Fuego, where it will soon expand infrastructure with the Fénix project (OGJ Online, June 7, 2024).
Tecpetrol, which received export permits earlier this year, is now allowed to export up to 1.5 MMcmd from Fortín de Piedra, Vaca Muerta’s largest gas field with an average output of 20 MMcmd, to Brazilian marketer MGas at a rate of $9/MMbtu.
Additional companies are expected to seek export authorizations, expanding agreements to bring production to the Brazilian market.
Neuquén Governor Rolando Figueroa has said the province holds plans projected to transport about 34 MMcmd from Vaca Muerta to Brazil, with 19 million destined for São Paulo and 15 million to Rio Grande do Sul.
