TBG Seeks Approval for US$286mn Bolivia-Brazil Pipeline Expansion

TBG has submitted a request to Brazil's oil and gas regulator ANP for approval of a major project to increase the capacity of the Bolivia-Brazil Gas Pipeline. The estimated investment for this project is US$286 million.

The Free Allocation Project aims to address a physical bottleneck in the southern section of the pipeline, which would allow for increased use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) imported by Santa Catarina. This comes as Bolivia's gas supply has been declining from around 34 million cubic meters per day in mid-2014 to approximately 12 million cubic meters per day in 2025.

The project involves relocating two compression stations and duplicating an 18-inch diameter section of the pipeline between Santa Catarina and Paraná. TBG estimates that this will take around three and a half years to complete, with start-up scheduled for October 2029. The company's Business Plan suggests that the Garuva Entry Point in Santa Catarina would see its total receiving capacity increase from approximately 12.3 million cubic meters per day to up to 23.6 million cubic meters per day.