Through an investment plan that will reach US$3.9 billion over 20 years, Puerto La Plata will be home to the largest energy development project in the province’s history. LNG del Plata is the name of the project announced by Camuzzi Gas Inversora, which aims to export LNG with liquids that will arrive from Vaca Muerta via a liquefaction vessel located in front of Ensenada, and at the same time boost domestic supply during the months of greatest consumption.
After three years of analysis and the project still under lock and key, the president of the Puerto La Plata Management Association (PLP), José María Lugo, told EL DÍA that “everything necessary for the project was in place and the company chose this place because it is the port that best connects the gas network of the metropolitan area to the ocean.” Logue stressed that the initiative “will provide great development potential and a number of job opportunities.” In addition, he pointed out that the process will allow “exporting gas when there is a surplus in the summer and importing it when there is a shortage in the winter, and it will also be a strategic point for cargo ships.” The head of the PLP, an engineer graduated from the National University of La Plata, highlighted the role of the gas pipeline, Nestor Kirchner, which enabled gas from Vaca Muerta to reach the province of Buenos Aires.
Official sources explained that the implementation of the works will generate about 500 direct jobs and double and triple indirect jobs for the region.
Regarding the work that will begin at the beginning of next year and end at the beginning of 2028, Lugo explained that in the Perea Palace in Ensenada, “where the gas pressure is sufficient,” an underwater connection will be made to an area outside the port where an “island” will be built, where the gas will be compressed (its volume will decrease 600 times) to make it liquid (liquefied natural gas or LNG) and in this way it can be exported via boats.
The project expects to export more than 2.4 million tons of liquefied natural gas annually, equivalent to 9 million cubic meters of gas per day. In parallel, it will allow gas to be released to the local market in the colder months, reducing the use of more expensive liquid fuels. According to the company, the operation will generate 500 direct jobs and contribute more than US$14.5 billion in foreign currency over its useful life.
Initial infrastructure includes a new transportation system to transport gas from the Buchanan compressor plant to Ensenada, a 10-kilometre underwater gas pipeline and an offshore platform for mooring a liquefaction vessel.
Between September and May, LNG del Plata will export gas, taking advantage of the idle capacity of gas pipelines. According to this newspaper, between 80 and 90% of production will be directed to São Paulo’s powerful industrial belt, the largest in Brazil.
Once it reaches the port, the liquid will be cooled until its volume is reduced 600 times and can thus be transported by sea. During the winter, the plan will be reversed to strengthen the national energy matrix by releasing natural gas into the national system.
“This project is highly relevant to the development of the country, because it will not only generate 500 direct jobs, but will contribute, over the planned 20 years of operation, more than 14.5 billion US dollars in foreign exchange from exports,” explained Alejandro Macfarlane, President of Camuzzi Gas Inversora, a company led by this CEO, Jorge Brito and the Italian group led by Fabrizio Garelli.
Through this project, the company controlling Camuzzi Gas Pampeana and Camuzzi Gas del Sur seeks to strengthen Argentina’s entry into the global LNG market and leverage the existing infrastructure to transform the region into a strategic node in this sector.
The installation of the liquefaction vessel will make Puerto La Plata the first point in Buenos Aires with the capacity to export liquefied natural gas, an achievement that puts it on the energy map hitherto dominated by projects in Patagonia and the Rio Negro coast.
Work will begin in 2026 and is scheduled to begin operations in 2028. Camuzzi is in advanced negotiations with an international company specializing in floating liquefaction, which is key to operating the vessel that will serve as an LNG plant.
For the sector, the initiative introduces a new player in the competition to attract long-term investments linked to Vaca Muerta. Moreover, by being located at the heart of the gas transportation system in the metropolitan area, it will allow the use of existing gas pipelines to be expressed more efficiently, an aspect that companies and specialists consider essential to improve the security of the system.
The project has also revived expectations in the supplier chain of the La Plata-Períso-Ensenada industrial chain, where estimates indicate a growing traffic for services related to engineering, civil works, metalworking, logistics and maintenance. For the province, the bet could lead to increased port activity and increased flow of goods associated with foreign energy trade, an element that has gained weight in recent years as a generator of tax revenue and qualified jobs.