Argentina will return to export gas to Chile from October

Argentina will return to to export natural gas to Chile for the first time after more than a decade, starting in October.

The news came out this Friday after a meeting that the Javier Iguacel Minister of Energy, with his trans-Andean couple, Susana Jiménez .

At the bilateral meeting, the ministers pledged to give priority to energy integration between the two countries

Among the milestones that come to materialize this integration is the start of the country's natural gas exports. Argentina to Chile in October, and progress in the study that will identify ] future lines of electrical interconnection between the two countries.

The focus of the meeting focused on the implementation measures of the protocol of export agreement, import, marketing and transport e of the I & # 39; electric energy and natural gas signed last April by presidents Sebastián Piñera and Mauricio Macri .

The agreement states that these operations may be performed provided that do not compromise the internal supply do not affect the safety of the operation, nor the quality and reliability of the transportation and distribution services of natural gas and electricity of each country . of this protocol is that it will allow international operations of electric power and natural gas, without the need to make a compensation or the return of the energy resource.

"Energy integration with Argentina will mean two countries like, for example, greater security and flexibility for our systems, and start a future regional energy integration in the cone South, "as Chile's Minister of Energy said:

The authority noted that President Sebastián Piñera has made the regional energy interconnection one of the Mega Commitments of the Energy Road which drives the portfolio.Iguacel, shared the progress made in this meeting: "Today, we reaffirm the commitment Argentina to energy exchange with our brother country of Chile and with the region. We are moving ahead with our goal of becoming oil and gas exporters again. In October we will return exporting gas to Chile after 11 years . "

Gas exports to Chile
This agreement is already seeing its first results.After the meeting of the two authorities, it was possible to confirm the export of unconventional natural gas from Argentina in the month of October this year, in particular from Neuquen by the deposit of Vaca Muerta ] In addition, the state of Unconventional gas production in the Southern Basin and potential natural gas exports to the Magallanes region were discussed, reaffirming Chile's interest in Argentine natural gas for the southern and eastern parts of the country.

"Greater integration in gas exchange can also be a good solution to solve problems such as pollution of the cities in the center-south of the country, more options for the energy matrix. for heating in this area, where today the wood is wet, "says the Chilean minister.

" Vaca Muerta will give us gas in plenty so that the inhabitants of Argentina and Chile benefit from a much cheaper gas, thereby achieving a much cleaner and greener economy, with less pollution, "badured Iguacel

Electric
The authorities also badyzed the details of the study started in April this year , concerning the economic benefits of four new alternatives for the interconnection of the Chilean electricity system with the Argentine system

Today only There is a line of electrical interconnection between Chile and Argentina, which connects the Andean substation to Mejillones with the Cobos substation in the province of Salta, Argentina In February 2016, Chile finalized the excess electricity export to Argentina for a total of 102 GWh in 2016 and 36.25 GWh in 2017.

Binational Work Table
During the meeting, Jiménez and Iguacel also badyzed the scope of the Binational Working Table created under the last agreement on the import, export and marketing of energy resources between the two countries. This body will concentrate its work on regulatory harmonization to govern the exchange of energy resources between the two countries and the possible aspects of interinstitutional cooperation.

The authorities also underlined the successful experiences of inter-institutional cooperation between the two ministries notably on energy efficiency, renewable energies and long-term energy planning.