The Bolivia-Brazil pipeline (GASBOL) is the longest natural gas pipeline in South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

. The 3150 kilometres (1,957.3 mi) long pipeline connects Bolivia

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

's gas sources with the south-east regions of Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

.

The pipeline was built in two stages. The first 1418 kilometres (881.1 mi) long stretch, with a diameter varying from 32 inches (812.8 mm) inches to 24 inches (609.6 mm), started operation in June 1999. It runs from Rio Grande to Puerto Soares-Corumbá in Mato Grosso do Sul

Mato Grosso do Sul

Mato Grosso do Sul is one of the states of Brazil.Neighboring Brazilian states are Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay and Bolivia to the west. The economy of the state is largely based on agriculture and cattle-raising...

, reaches Campinas

Campinas

Campinas is a city and municipality located in the coastal interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. is the administrative center of the meso-region of the same name, with 3,783,597 inhabitants as of the 2010 Census, consisting of 49 cities....

 in the state of São Paulo

São Paulo (state)

São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...

, and continues to Guararema

Guararema

Guararema is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2006 was 24,818, with a density of 91.7 inh./km² and the area is 271 km². This place name comes from the Tupi language. It is a suburb of São Paulo....

, where it's connected with the Brazilian network. The second 1165 kilometres (723.9 mi) long stretch, with a diameter varying from 24 inches (609.6 mm) to 16 inches (406.4 mm), which links Campinas to Canoas

Canoas

Canoas , which won city status in 1939, is the fourth largest city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Its population is over 300,000 people. The city is adjacent to the capital of the gaúcho state: Porto Alegre...

, near Porto Alegre

Porto Alegre

Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...

 in Rio Grande do Sul

Rio Grande do Sul

Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...

, was completed in March 2000.

The maximum capacity of the pipeline is 11 billion cubic meter (bcm) of natural gas per annum. The total cost of the pipeline was US$2.15 billion, of which US$1.72 billion was spent on the Brazilian section and US$435 million on the Bolivian section.