The technology developed at Vaca Muerta reaches the United States

Argentina has begun to export to the United States the first mobile liquefied natural gas production stations to supply customers not connected to pipelines. This project, developed from the experience gained at Vaca Muerta, is now integrated with the formation of hydrocarbons. of Marcellus.

These are the so-called Cryobox-Trailer stations that were shipped from the ports of Zárate and San Nicolás to Buenos Aires, whose first units were already installed in the northeast of the state of Pennsylvania, developed and manufactured by the Argentine company Galileo Technologies in its Buenos Aires Province party factory.

The company, in addition to the LNG production stations, will ensure its implementation in the unconventional field of Marcellus, a regasification plant, compression systems, virtual pipeline isotanks, software and the training of technical personnel, and anticipates the inauguration. shortly after an badembly plant.

In the United States, the equipment is operated by Edge Gathering, a company owned by Blue Water Energy and Galileo Global Technologies, which in turn has a service marketing agreement with NextEra Energy. largest power generation and distribution company in the United States.

This technology has been developed and tested over the last two years in unconventional Vaca Muerta wells and not connected to gas pipelines operated by YPF, whose gas was used to power the Anchoris thermal power plant in Mendoza, the first one not connected to pipelines.

Marcellus is considered the largest unconventional gas formation in the United States, a technological reference for ongoing developments at Vaca Muerta.

After conditioning and liquefying the natural gas in the wells, the system distributes the liquid fuel via a virtual gas pipeline system that transports the gas into cryogenic isotanks, which reaches rural communities, generating power stations. decentralized, heavy transport bases and industries seeking supply without seasonality.

During the recent start-up of its operations, Edge delivered more than 110,000 liters of LNG to its first customer, Emera Energy Services, which linked the gas produced in the Marcellus formation to the purchaser's facilities. the east coast of the United States, more than 500 km. .

"We are exporting to the US the LNG technology we developed for Vaca Muerta," said Osvaldo del Campo, CEO of Galileo Technologies, stressing that "the technological contribution made to Edge, the company operating with a local partner – is seeking to provide Marcellus shale gas more competitively and efficiently than pipelines ",

The system, explained del Campo, allows to speak of "third generation gas or gas 3.0, because with LNG, the distance between wells and consumers is shortened without using pipelines or any centralized collection or compression infrastructure some gas".

The system has the capacity to deliver LNG at 60 or 70% of the spot market price and without seasonal shutdown, which generates a benefit for the customer, which reaches a stable price throughout the year.

Galileo's marketing director, Julio Rodríguez, added that the characteristics of the operating system "would make it possible to reach the entire territory of the United States, from a fleet of trucks propelled to the United States. LNG that gives it a range of 1,200 kilometers and if necessary, you can add charging points for longer distances. "

"As in Argentina, there are areas in which the pipeline system has reached its maximum possible expansion – in terms of the business equation – and there are many unguarded customers to whom a very serious pipeline will be provided, which can be solved with the concept of virtual pipeline, "he explained.

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