Argentina has launched a tender for new works to reverse the flow of natural gas, with a pipeline designed to transport Vaca Muerta shale production to the north of the country, according to a local source.
The requirements of steel plate for the construction of the 530 km pipeline are estimated at 240,000 mt, with total costs, including ancillary equipment, estimated at $40 billion.
The first stretch of the pipeline, recently concluded, has linked the gas fields in the south of the country to the province of Buenos Aires, and will soon nullify the $5.0 billion annual energy deficit of the country. The second stretch will give Argentina an energy surplus of $20 billion per year.
It is not clear if the second stretch will be built by Tenaris with plates supplied by Usiminas, like the first stretch.