The government is promoting a new project under RIGI for more than USD 700 million.

In line with its policy of reducing the size of the State and redirecting public spending,  Javier Milei's Government is moving forward with the first gas infrastructure project undertaken exclusively by the private sector.

This is the  expansion of the Perito Moreno Gas Pipeline, an initiative that represents a structural change in the national energy strategy and is part of the  Regime for the Promotion of Large Investments (RIGI), recently approved by Congress.

The project, driven by the company Transportadora de Gas del Sur (TGS), involves a total investment of USD 700 million, of which USD 500 million will be allocated to the expansion of the pipeline and an additional USD 200 million will be directed to the expansion of TGS's regulated system.

All funding will be provided by the private sector, without the use of public funds, as established by the guidelines of the new regulatory framework promoted by the Executive.

The envelope opening ceremony was held at noon today at the ENARSA offices, where a single offer was submitted by TGS. The proposal included a guarantee of USD 5 million, as well as the technical and economic documents for the execution of the works and the provision of operation and maintenance services. From now on, the evaluation stage by the authorities begins and the eventual awarding of the contract.

With an incremental capacity of 14 million cubic meters per day—and the possibility of adding 6 million more—, the project  aims to ensure energy supply during periods of highest demand, especially in winter.  According to estimates from the Ministry of Economy, the commissioning of the new section would allow the State to achieve fiscal savings of up to USD 500 million annually by substituting imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

This type of private project is viable thanks to the new framework established by RIGI. This scheme, recently approved, provides legal predictability, fiscal stability, and exchange rate facilities to projects exceeding USD 200 million, with the aim of attracting large strategic investments in key sectors such as energy, mining, and agribusiness.

In line with this vision, the Executive had already anticipated, when inaugurating the reversal of the Gasoducto Norte, that no more public funds would be allocated to this type of project. The strategy seeks to promote a new model of energy development based on  private investment, self-sufficiency in supply, and the reduction of the State's role in the economy.

In addition to optimizing the use of fiscal resources,  the project is considered strategic for improving the infrastructure that will enable the potential ofVaca Muerta, one of the largest unconventional gas reserves in the world, to be harnessed.

The goal is for the new capacity to be operational by the winter of 2026, ensuring a response to seasonal consumption peaks and avoiding critical situations like those recorded during last June's cold wave.

The national and international tender provides for the possibility of financing the works through capacity reservation or prepayment of transportation contracts, consolidating a model in which the investment risk falls entirely on the private sector, in line with the principles of economic efficiency that the current Government seeks to reinstate in the national energy system.