Tecpetrol gas plant opens in Vaca Muerta

Argentinian E&P company Tecpetrol on Tuesday opened its USD 30-million gas separation facility in the Fortín de Piedra block, located in the Vaca Muerta play.

“We are making Vaca Muerta a reality, advancing very quickly with the development of our gas project in the Fortín de Piedra area,” Tecpetrol CEO Carlos Ormachea said at an inauguration ceremony attended by Argentina’s Minister of Energy and Mining Juan José Aranguren and Neuquén province governor Omar Gutierrez.

By next year, the plant will allow Tecpetrol to process up to 15 mcm (530 mcf) of gas per day from the unconventional block, accounting for around 10% of Argentina’s gas consumption.

Fortín de Piedra currently produces around 1.5 mcm (52 mcf) per day. According to Ormachea, the block will reach a daily output of 6.5 mcm (230 mcf) in the next three months.

Starting up only 10 months ago, the unconventional gas project has been heralded for the speed of its development. In March 2017, the company committed to invest USD 2.3 billion in the project, of which USD 700 million has already been spent. Tecpetrol expects to put another USD 1 billion towards the development in 2018.