May 2025, Vol. 252, No. 5
Features
Pipeline Projects Boost Midstream Capacity Across Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia
(P&GJ) — Four projects stand out in the first half of the year in Latin America, two of which are located in Brazil.
The Gas Sal project involves expanding the natural gas distribution network in the northeast of the country, while the second is to increase the capacity of the Gasbol pipeline, following an increase in demand in southern Brazil.
The third project, completed a few weeks ago, is the new pipeline that connects the crude oil treatment plant in central Argentina to the Oleoductos del Valle (Oldelval) terminal and another section of the pipeline.
Brazil
The Gas Sal project involves the construction of a 53-km gas pipeline and represents a highly important energy infrastructure project for the federal state of Rio Grande do Norte. According to data from the Ministry of Energy, work officially began in mid-January 2025 and is scheduled for completion in June 2026.
The pipeline will benefit all types of consumers: households, hotels, small businesses and large industries.
The project's strategic role is to strengthen the economy of the federal state of Rio Grande do Norte.
The pipeline will extend along the BR-110 highway, traversing the western region of the state, passing through rural, industrial and urban areas before reaching its terminus, 48 km from its origin.
According to the new technical report from the Rio Grande do Norte State Government, the pipeline's progress as of the end of March is currently 13% complete, with more than 1,600 m of pipeline built between the municipalities of Mossoró and Areia Branca.
In addition to this infrastructure, construction has also begun on the Pressure Regulation Station — necessary for the control and distribution of natural gas — and is expected to be completed by the end of August.
The pipeline will be constructed using a 200-mm diameter HDPE pipeline, which has a total length of 48 km and follows the BR-110 highway to its terminus in the city of Arena Blanca.
110-mm diameter HDPE gas pipes are used in the branches to serve each of the six major customers.
Finally, a 6-in diameter carbon steel pipe will be used in a section of approximately 740 meters, from the existing gas network to the District ERP (Renewable Energy Plant), located in the city of Mossoró.
The Bolivia-Brazil Gas Pipeline Transportation Company (TBG) presented its new capacity expansion plan for the southern section of the Gasbol pipeline and expects to launch the incremental public tender in 2025.
The company determined that the best way to offer greater gas volumes to the market is through phased projects, through the construction of new compression stations and loops. Expanding in small stages is a way to align plans with increasing market demand in the southern region of the country, thus limiting the risk for operators when they have to offer greater volumes only in certain areas.
That is, to progressively offer the market incremental capacities linked to their respective reference rates. This will mitigate the risk associated with larger investments.
For this reason, TBG confirmed that it has already submitted the project to the National Petroleum Agency (ANP) for the construction of a new compression station in the city of Santa Catarina, to increase the capacity of the southern section by just over 600,000 cm/d.
This project will increase the pipeline's capacity to 7 MMcm/d, combining new compression stations and loops in the southern section of the Gasbol pipeline.
However, according to the company, the outlook from 2022–2024 became volatile in the federal state of Santa Catarina, after registering a decrease in natural gas demand, especially in the industrial sector. Based on this data, TBG decided to change its strategy to a more gradual expansion.
In the call for proposals, the TBG transportation company committed to increasing capacity in the Santa Catarina area, from 826,000 cm/d to 1.47 Bcm/d. This project also involves the expansion of the Araucária and Biguaçu Compression Stations, thus achieving additional production capacity at the southern end of the Gasbol pipeline.
Argentina
The pipeline stretches a total of 43 km, with a 12-in diameter, and will carry up to 60,000 bpd of crude. It begins in the Bajo del Choique area and runs 20 km parallel to Provincial Route 5. Along its route, it crosses the Bajo del Choique and Bajo del Toro Oeste blocks.
The pipeline veers east, crosses Provincial Route 5 and extends for another 22 km, reaching Bajo del Toro Este, Aguada Chivato-Bocarey, before terminating in La Banda. At this point, it will connect to the tanks of the AMOT Oil Terminal.
The new infrastructure will connect the crude oil treatment plant in the Bajo del Choique-La Invernada area and the Oleoductos del Valle (Oldelval) terminal in Rincón de los Sauces.
The pipeline has a design pressure of 101.24 kg/cm² and is manufactured under API 5L X-PSL-2 standards, with a wall thickness of 9.53 mm for most of its route. In sections with special crossings, the thickness is increased to 10.3 mm.
The pipeline has a cathodic protection system, ensuring long-term durability. In addition, a fiber optic cable system was integrated into the facilities for remote monitoring of volumes sent and received, leak detection and pipeline pressure.
Two scraper traps were installed: one launcher and one receiver. In addition, two six-in pipelines were installed to efficiently connect the Bajo del Choique area and the Oil Terminal.
“To ensure operational safety, two line-break valves have been installed at kilometer points 18 and 28, located in underground chambers with electro-hydraulic shut-off valves and pressure and temperature monitoring systems,” the company said.
The fourth project involves the construction of a new pipeline that will connect the Bahía Blanca Refinery to the Oldelval trunk line system. The project, called the Diversion Project, is expected to be completed in 2025.
This new pipeline, with a diameter of 14 in and a length of 11 km, will increase Oldelval’s transportation capacity to 24,000 cm/d. The project will improve the reliability of supply to the Bahía Blanca Refinery and offer a new alternative to exporting crude oil from Vaca Muerta.
The expansion of crude oil transportation and export capacity is part of the Duplicar Plus project, which aims to increase transportation capacity to 700,000 cm/d, mainly toward the Atlantic.
Comments