The Juana Azurduy Gas Pipeline (GJA) will transport gas from Bolivian fields to the Argentinean province of Salta. The 24 km long Bolivian section will have a diameter of 32 inches, and will cost approximate $US43 million, while the Argentinean section will be 32 km long and 30 inches in diameter, with an estimated cost of approximately $US49.7 million.
In May, Energía Argentina Sociedad Anónima (ENARSA) announced an international bid for the construction contract of the Argentinean section. This section will be constructed under a turnkey agreement, and the contract will involve environmental studies, engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of the pipeline and associated facilities.
The Argentinean route will run between the gas collection point at the Bolivian border and the Camp Duran facilities operated by Refinor, located in Salta. The GJA will run parallel to the existing 8 inch diameter Madrejones Pipeline, which travels between the Madrejones Gas Field in Bolivia and the Refinor Refinery.
In addition, Bolivian Fiscal Oilfields (Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos – YPFB) has called for tenders for the provision of essential equipment for the Bolivian section of the pipeline.
The GJA project stems from a contract signed between YPFB and ENARSA in October 2006, in which Argentina agreed to import increasing quantities of Bolivian natural gas between 2010 and 2027.
An addendum to this contract was signed in March 2010, in which Bolivia agreed to quadruple natural gas exports to Argentina by 2021. This agreement, which will see a exports rise gradually from
7.7 MMcm/d to 27.7 MMcm/d in 2021, was signed by YPFB President Carlos Villegas and ENARSA President Exequiel Espinosa.
This anticipated increase in Bolivian gas imports has made the construction and commissioning of the GJA pipeline a priority for both countries, and the project has been scheduled for completion in May 2011.
