Petrochemical projects advance with the development of Vaca Muerta

The Argentine petrochemical industry is already mobilizing its first investment projects of one million dollars, which will transform the unconventional field Vaca Muerta into a "fifth wave" of development and take advantage of demand is growing faster than in previous years. global economy

"Every year, the world needs three petrochemical poles the size of Bahia Blanca, which is an excellent opportunity considering that the country has a large and competitive resource and that an industry is already formed, "says a report prepared by the Chamber of Chemical and Petrochemical Industry that will be presented to the government in a few weeks.

In this sense, the executive director of the entity, Jorge de Zavaleta, said that "in the short term, there are movements in the sector" when announcing new projects " oriented towards exports ".

The first of these – already confirmed in the industry – is linked to a new urea plant that will require, according to what is processed in the sector, about 3 million cubic meters of gas per day.

The case of urea – a product of low cost but multiplying by 3 the value of natural gas – considers Mercosur as a market with a net deficit in which only Brazil imports 4 million tons, while a factory in the world produces 1.5 million tons.

De Zavaleta even said that larger and more expensive projects would be added, with announcements in one or two years, for the production of methanol, a solvent of the very strong Chinese demand; polyethylene and polypropylene, which together account for 60% of global plastics consumption, propane is also in great demand internationally.

"Local businesses have the financial base to make these investments, but there are also" multinational companies that are not in the country but are badyzing their own projects based on what Vaca Muerta represents, "said the company. Executive, stressing the importance of relying on "strategic partnerships in a capital-intensive industry".

As in the case of unconventional markets, the US experience is also a benchmark since the launch of the petrochemical pulse in 2013, after a few years of consolidated gas and oil production, with investments reaching $ 200,000 in five years. million USD and exports of US $ 30 billion from the North.