Brazil makes its first import of Argentine gas through Bolivian infrastructure.
Approximately 500.000 cubic meters were exported through the Bolivian gas pipeline this Tuesday.
(Reuters)- TotalEnergies exported natural gas from the Vaca Muerta field in Argentina to Brazil's Matrix Energia, using a network of Bolivian pipelines for the first time, Matrix said in a statement on Tuesday.
Companies and governments from Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil have been negotiating agreements for over a year, attempting to secure a long-term route for Argentine gas to reach one of Latin America's most important gas markets.
According to sources familiar with the matter, approximately 500.000 cubic meters were exported through the Bolivian gas pipeline this Tuesday.
The contract is spot, which means that supply could be interrupted during the winter when demand in Argentina is higher, one of the sources told Reuters.
"The unprecedented operation aims to verify the technical feasibility of the logistics route, which involves the interconnection of different agents along the supply chain," Matrix said in a statement.
The company added that the move was the result of gas import agreements signed between Matrix Energia and TotalEnergies Argentina, and the contracting of aggregation and transportation services by Matrix Energia with YPFB, consistent with the tripartite operational agreement announced to the market at the end of 2024.
A major obstacle to the operation was Bolivia's initial intention to charge a fee for the use of its infrastructure, preferring an option that would see it buy gas from Argentina and then resell it to Brazil, sources told Reuters last year.
But negotiations have improved in recent months, with several potential supply contracts identified, they added.
The pipeline transported Bolivian gas to Brazil and Argentina for years, but as Bolivia's gas production declines, exported volumes have decreased.
The arrival of gas from Vaca Muerta to Brazil is a victory for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is seeking a cheaper gas supply for the country's industry.
If exports continue, they will also represent a triumph for Argentina, whose gas production is growing under President Javier Milei's market-friendly policies, opening a new source of revenue for the country, which until recently had a deficit in its energy trade balance.
Bolivia's state-owned energy company YPFB did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the new exports via Bolivian pipelines.
