Bolivia and Paraguay to Study Gas Pipeline
The governments of Bolivia and Paraguay have agreed to conduct technical and feasibility studies related to construction of a natural gas pipeline that would transport between 6mn and 10mn m3/day from Villa Montes to Asunción, online media reported March 7.
“At the technical andministerial levels, we have already agreed on construction of a gas pipeline between both countries,” online media El Diario reported, citing Bolivian hydrocarbon minister Luis Alberto Sanchez.
Bolivia, which ranks sixth in the Latin America and Caribbean region in terms of gas production, continues to export gas primarily to Brazil and Argentina, but looks to expand into Paraguay as part of an international expansion initiative announced last year.
Officials from both countries plan to meet at the next binational cabinet on June 12, and present a decision and pre-contract related to Paraguay’s demand for Bolivian gas. The cabinet also plans to present proposals as to whether the gas pipeline will be constructed by Bolivia’s state oil and gas entity Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB) or in a partnership with its Paraguayan counterpart Petropar.