The host, Mark Jones, who, according to him, has known Massa for more than 20 years, had words of recognition when he described him as “the best interlocutor that the industry can have.” Along these lines, he maintained that Massa is the “Argentine Baker”, in reference to the famous diplomat who held the Secretary of State during Ronald Reagan’s term. “Baker was an official who worked, as Cristina would say,” Jones sentenced in a friendly tone while adding, referring to Massa: “We needed someone to build bridges and make agreements, not quilombos.”
It was in this climate that the minister made various announcements. He not only maintained that next Wednesday the second section of the Gas Plan 4 will be presented, but also that there will be information related to the Gas Plan 5, whose vector will be the inauguration of the first section of the Néstor Kirchner gas pipeline, which Massa wants to have finished before the 20th of June.
Linked to the LNG issue, Massa maintained that “Argentina does not need an LNG plant, it needs several”, and anticipated that at the beginning of October a “new regulatory framework for LNG and hydrogen” will be discussed in Congress, with the except that these frameworks will include, in part, the free availability of foreign exchange.
He also pointed out that he will add details to the tender for the production of gas from the Austral Basin in order to replace the import of LNG and the new promotion and benefit regimes for LNG and hydrogen.
On the other hand, next Wednesday a complementary benefit scheme will be announced to Decree 277 that Massa signed weeks ago and in which Vaca Muerta firms, whose production is incremental, are guaranteed access to dollars. According to the economic team, this scheme is not new, but through a resolution reactivates a promotion mechanism thought up by former president Cristina Kirchner for the initial development of Vaca Muerta. This scheme will have as its first recipient the firm Chevron, since it was the first company that was going to have it as a beneficiary long ago.
repercussions
Once the announcements were made, the Venezuelan Francisco Monaldi, head of the Baker Institute’s Latino energy program, maintained that the initiative was “commendable” and that Massa’s presence was “according to the potential of Vaca Muerta.” Monaldi praised Massa, to whom he attributed the interest in highlighting “the need for a strategic plan for the sector, with a strong legal framework that goes beyond governments.”
There were several businessmen who spoke with Ámbito about the entire series of initiatives that the minister has been promoting for the sector. Bryan Pickett, General Manager of the Unconventionals, Argentina & Central Unit of the Exxon firm, said that “it is important for the development of the sector that the industry continues to work together with all levels of government and stakeholders to facilitate policies that increase the efficiency, productivity and competitiveness of the development of Vaca Muerta resources”. In this sense, he maintained that “the meetings held today (for Friday) are in this line and are extremely positive.”
Meanwhile, Juan Martín Bulgheroni, VP of Planning and Strategy for Upstream Operations at PAE, stated that “the meeting was very positive” and that “there is consensus among all the actors on the potential that Vaca Muerta has and the impact it could have on the energy balance of the country. Bulgheroni highlighted the announcement about the extension of Plan Gas 4, since “it is a federal plan that made possible the development of Vaca Muerta and other basins. Our industry makes very long-term risk investments, so it is important to be able to visualize the continuity of this type of program”.
In addition, Daniel de Nigris, General Manager of ExxonMobil Exploration Argentina, told Ámbito that as an organization “we believe in sustained dialogue between the operating companies, national and provincial authorities, unions and other interested parties.” At the same time, he maintained that “all of this is essential for the development of Vaca Muerta for the benefit of Neuquén and Argentina.” “The meetings that have taken place in Houston at the request of Minister Massa and his team, along with representatives of the province of Neuquén, strengthen the possibility of continuing to work together to increase energy production in our country.”
Who also added his accompanying message to the event and the minister’s efforts was the vice president of the Board of the Tenaris firm, Germán Cura. The executive, who held the presidency of Tenaris USA until 2018, described Massa’s initiative in energy matters as “very positive”. He pointed out that “it should be sought that the political conversation is isolated, that there are structural state policies, and that this allows countries to advance in the development of production based on their resources and development of incentives, regardless of the particular vision” . “All this aims to build an apparatus and structure of public policies that, once put in place with consensus, persist over time and give companies the time horizon, because these investments require a long time to execute and stability is central”, closed the executive.
Source: Ambito
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