Government says gas will "increase by 30% or less" throughout the year

After the first gas auction held yesterday and against the forecasts that have the exchange rate during the first half of March, the Secretary of Energy, Gustavo Lopetegui, badured at a press conference that the gas bill "will increase by 30% or less" for the whole year, when up to here what they had estimated It was 35% in April.

"From one side, the price obtained at the auction is 12 months, which already guarantees predictability. And for what I saw the dollar, the increase could be 30% or less, "Lopetegui said, companies that did not show up at the auction must enter into private contracts and present them at the public hearing scheduled for April.

Both increases were scheduled for April and October, but the official confirmed that the second would be postponed to December by elections. That's why it's the change of estimate. Whatever it is, at the end of the year, there could be a new download.

Regarding the dispute with Tecpetrol, from the Techint Group, concerning subsidies for gas production at Vaca Muerta, the Secretary for Energy confirmed that in the coming days the administrative request will be processed that the company explained last week with the legal arguments of why the state believes that, in accordance with resolution 46, it should not pay subsidies for the entire production.

"We are right and we will pay for the 8.5 million cubic meters per day, which was the initial estimate"Despite these differences in interpretation, Lopetegui said that he" deeply admires Techint and deeply Tecpetrol "because his project at Vaca Muerta put the site on the agenda.

"The standard has reached its goal. Today, with all that is done in gas and oilwe operate the 4% of Vaca Muerta. On the other hand, there is no capacity to continue extracting the gas from the basin because there are no pipelines, "said the secretary. Energy, at a press conference held on the fifth floor of the Treasury, convened to explain the scope of the new gas supply contract signed with Bolivia yesterday but in which the responsible has responded to the concerns of all the problems who make their region.

Faced with the problem of the lack of gas pipelines to extract Vaca Muerta gas, Energía prepares two calls for tenders aimed at developing investments in fluid transport. On the one hand, draw up a list of these works, but there will also be another call for tenders to promote gas production, but related to the construction of a pipeline, c 39 that is to say who has the guarantee that once extracted can be transported.

According to Lopetegui, it will be a new incentive mechanism, along with the controversial resolution 46. "We will offer companies to buy gas at an international price less a discount, the one that offers the best discount will keep its operation, but it will still have to be tied to the construction of a gas pipeline"said the manager.

The State Secretary for Energy explained the scope of the new gas supply contract signed with Bolivia, which ended yesterday in Santa Cruz de las Sierra. About, He badured that the agreement stipulated that Argentina would be able to buy less gas for this country during the summer months., who are the least consumed, so they will not have to pay Bolivia for a gas they do not consume. From Vaca Muerta, gas production has risen sharply and, in summer, sales are exportable.

According to Energy estimates, the annual saving of the penalty that they will not have to pay when they buy less gas last summer in Bolivia is of 376 million USD, but the net saving is reduced to 227 million USD as it will increase by 5% the total volume Argentina will buy to Bolivia and also because it will pay a higher price (the average price will increase by 10%).

Despite the development of Vaca Muerta, Lopetegui badured that Argentina should continue to import gas for another two or three years. By 2019, planned imports will reach nearly $ 2 billion, but they managed to reach $ 6 billion, recalled the official.