The monumental project of YPF for 5 billion dollars

YPF could face a megaproject to build a $ 5,000 million plant for the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Bahía Blanca. This was announced today by the portal Online politics. "We are working to build it through a consortium of production companies," sources close to the national oil company told the local press. This is a five-year project to treat more than 20 million cubic meters a day to transport this fluid by sea from the deep-water port of this city of Buenos Aires to the world.

According to this published version, the firm's urgency lies in the excess supply that it had had in recent months, during which it was forced to close wells and reduce its volume of 20% production. Is this due to the drop in domestic demand due to the economic recession and the impossibility of competing with the low cost of the new Techint gas, produced by Resolution 46- grants, the company chaired by Miguel Gutiérrez n & # There is nowhere to place one's surplus.

The demand of neighboring countries is not enough and to make matters worse, many of them, especially Chile, have concluded with other countries valid import contracts which can not be written off the day. overnight, despite the best price of the Argentine fluid. "Chile has set up two regasification plants to import LNG, and these contracts expire between 2028 and 2036. And since the regasification service is paid in the form of annual rent, they will never buy your gas even if it is not. 39 it is cheaper, "he told LPO Eduardo Jose Fernández, senior consultant on energy markets and director of UBA's oil and derivatives specialization career.

That's why the idea of ​​making a liquefaction plant that allows this product to be carried around the world is gaining more and more strength. It is a very complex procedure in which the volume of natural gas is reduced by 600 times and transported in liquid form at atmospheric pressure and at 162 degrees below zero.

This raises the selling price by about US $ 2 per million BTUs, so it is necessary to have very low costs to compete with other producers such as Qatar, Trinidad and Tobago and, in the short term, with the United States. United States, which are developing similar projects in the country. several regions of your country. "Today, we are a little above the costs, YPF must think of a production of 2 or 2.5 dollars in Neuquén and place in Bahía Blanca at a price not exceeding 3 dollars," says Fernandez . The full report by clicking here.

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