Bolivian virtual gas pipeline inaugurated

SENER has announced that it has participated in the inauguration of a virtual gas pipeline in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. Acting as the leader of the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) consortium, SENER executed the design, construction and start-up of the virtual pipeline. The system consists of an LNG plant, a fleet of cryogenic transport tanks and mobile regasification plants, and numerous satellite regasification stations.

The Bolivian President, Evo Morales, attended the event alongside Luis Alberto Sánchez – the Bolivian Minister for Hydrocarbons and Energy – Guillermo Luis Achá – the President of YPFB – and SENER’s General Manager of Power, Oil and Gas and Project Manager – Borja Zárraga and Ignacio Larrea.

The LNG plant can produce 210 tpd of LNG, and can store up to 3000 m³. It can supply natural gas to approximately 140 000 homes across 27 communities in Bolivia. YPFB claims that the service will be expanded later on, in order to serve an additional 33 municipalities. Without the service, these areas have no access to gas, as they are located far from the traditional distribution networks in Santa Cruz and Potosí.

Ignacio Larrea said: “This virtual gas pipeline is the first of its kind in Bolivia. It is an efficient solution to provide gas to many populated areas that are far from the national gas networks and which, because of their location, can only house a small regasification terminal. From now on, inhabitants of these areas can have natural gas in their homes, with quality service ensured by the good operation of the facilities we started up.”

Edited from press release by David Rowlands

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquefaction/16022016/bolivian-virtual-gas-pipeline-inaugurated-2007/