Gran Gasoducto del Sur
Encyclopedia
Gran Gasoducto del Sur was a proposed 8,000-15,000-kilometer (5,000-9,000 mi) long natural gas pipeline to connect Venezuela
, Brazil
and Argentina
. The overall project cost was expected to be around US$17-23 billion.
in Montevideo
, the presidents of Venezuela, Argentina, and Brazil signed an accord for the construction of the pipeline. In July 2007, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez
admitted that interest in building the pipeline has cooled. This statement followed a statement by Petrobras
president Jose Sergio Gabrielli, who said in June 2007 that it would take 25-30 years before the pipeline became operational.
, Venezuela, through Rondônia
, Amazonas and Amapá
states in Brazil to Marabá
, Pará
state Brazil. In Manaus
, Amazonas State, the pipeline was to be connected to the Urucu-Manaus pipeline and the Urucu-Porto Velho pipeline. From Marabá
, a 1387 kilometres (861.8 mi) branch line to Fortaleza
, Ceará State
was foreseen. In Fortaleza
the pipeline can be connected to the existing system that extends along the coast to Salvador
, Bahia State
to be connected with the GASENE
pipeline.
The second 1977 kilometres (1,228.5 mi) long section from Marabá
was to continue southward to São Paulo State
. From there, the pipeline was to be routed by the 1875 kilometres (1,165.1 mi) section to the border between Rio Grande do Sul
State and Uruguay
and then cross Uruguay to Argentina
.
section was planned to have a 66 inches (1,676.4 mm) diameter and to have 13 compressor stations of 25,000 hp each. The diameter of the Marabá
-Fortaleza
branch as planned would gradually decrease from 36 inches (914.4 mm) to 32 inches (812.8 mm) and the branch project involves the installation of five 15,000 hp compression stations. The gas amount received in Fortaleza
was planned to be 12.75 billion cubic meter (bcm) of natural gas per annum. The Marabá
-São Paulo
section was to be 54 inches (1,371.6 mm) in diameter and to include eight 20,000 hp compression stations. The gas delivered to São Paulo
was planned to be 15 bcm per annum. The Brazil-Argentina section with capacity of 18 bcm per annum was to include eight 15,000 hp compressor stations.
, Andean Development Corporation, and Caixa Econômica Federal
with possible participation of other public institutions and private investors.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, 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...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. The overall project cost was expected to be around US$17-23 billion.
History
On 9 December 2005, during an annual meeting of MercosurMercosur
Mercosur or Mercosul is an economic and political agreement among Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Founded in 1991 by the Treaty of Asunción, which was later amended and updated by the 1994 Treaty of Ouro Preto. Its purpose is to promote free trade and the fluid movement of goods, people,...
in Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, the presidents of Venezuela, Argentina, and Brazil signed an accord for the construction of the pipeline. In July 2007, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
admitted that interest in building the pipeline has cooled. This statement followed a statement by Petrobras
Petrobras
Petróleo Brasileiro or Petrobras is a semi-public Brazilian multinational energy corporation headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest company in Latin America by market capitalization and revenue, and the largest company headquartered in the Southern Hemisphere by market...
president Jose Sergio Gabrielli, who said in June 2007 that it would take 25-30 years before the pipeline became operational.
Route
The exact route of the pipeline was never defined. It was only disclosed that the first 2950 kilometres (1,833 mi) section was to run from Puerto OrdazPuerto Ordaz
Puerto Ordaz is a planned city which, together with the older settlement of San Felix, forms Ciudad Guayana in Bolívar State, eastern Venezuela. Puerto Ordaz is located at the confluence of the Caroní and Orinoco Rivers and is the site of the Llovizna Falls. There are bridges across the Caroni and...
, Venezuela, through Rondônia
Rondônia
Rondônia is a state in Brazil, located in the north-western part of the country. To the west is a short border with the state of Acre, to the north is the state of Amazonas, in the east is Mato Grosso, and in the south is Bolivia. Its capital is Porto Velho. The state was named after Candido Rondon...
, Amazonas and Amapá
Amapá
Amapá is one of the states of Brazil, located in the extreme north, bordering French Guiana and Suriname to the north. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south and west is the Brazilian state of Pará. Perhaps one of the main features of the state is the River Oiapoque, as it was once...
states in Brazil to Marabá
Marabá
Maraba is a city in the state of Pará, Brazil. The reference location is the meeting point between two great rivers, forming a sort of "y" in the city as seen from above...
, Pará
Pará
Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
state Brazil. In Manaus
Manaus
Manaus is a city in Brazil, the capital of the state of Amazonas. It is situated at the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers. It is the most populous city of Amazonas, according to the statistics of Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, and is a popular ecotourist destination....
, Amazonas State, the pipeline was to be connected to the Urucu-Manaus pipeline and the Urucu-Porto Velho pipeline. From Marabá
Marabá
Maraba is a city in the state of Pará, Brazil. The reference location is the meeting point between two great rivers, forming a sort of "y" in the city as seen from above...
, a 1387 kilometres (861.8 mi) branch line to Fortaleza
Fortaleza
Fortaleza is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.5 million , Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of and one of the highest demographic densities in the country...
, Ceará State
Ceará
Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
was foreseen. In Fortaleza
Fortaleza
Fortaleza is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.5 million , Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of and one of the highest demographic densities in the country...
the pipeline can be connected to the existing system that extends along the coast to Salvador
Salvador, Bahia
Salvador is the largest city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Salvador is also known as Brazil's capital of happiness due to its easygoing population and countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival. The first...
, Bahia State
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
to be connected with the GASENE
GASENE
The Southeast Northeast Interconnection Gas Pipeline is a long under construction natural gas pipeline system in Brazil, which will connect existing southeastern gas system to the Northeastern gas system. GASENE starts from the Cabiúnas Terminal in Rio de Janeiro and runs to the city of Catu in...
pipeline.
The second 1977 kilometres (1,228.5 mi) long section from Marabá
Marabá
Maraba is a city in the state of Pará, Brazil. The reference location is the meeting point between two great rivers, forming a sort of "y" in the city as seen from above...
was to continue southward to São Paulo State
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...
. From there, the pipeline was to be routed by the 1875 kilometres (1,165.1 mi) section to the border between 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...
State and Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
and then cross Uruguay to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
Technical features
The Puerto Ordaz-MarabáMarabá
Maraba is a city in the state of Pará, Brazil. The reference location is the meeting point between two great rivers, forming a sort of "y" in the city as seen from above...
section was planned to have a 66 inches (1,676.4 mm) diameter and to have 13 compressor stations of 25,000 hp each. The diameter of the Marabá
Marabá
Maraba is a city in the state of Pará, Brazil. The reference location is the meeting point between two great rivers, forming a sort of "y" in the city as seen from above...
-Fortaleza
Fortaleza
Fortaleza is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.5 million , Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of and one of the highest demographic densities in the country...
branch as planned would gradually decrease from 36 inches (914.4 mm) to 32 inches (812.8 mm) and the branch project involves the installation of five 15,000 hp compression stations. The gas amount received in Fortaleza
Fortaleza
Fortaleza is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.5 million , Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of and one of the highest demographic densities in the country...
was planned to be 12.75 billion cubic meter (bcm) of natural gas per annum. The Marabá
Marabá
Maraba is a city in the state of Pará, Brazil. The reference location is the meeting point between two great rivers, forming a sort of "y" in the city as seen from above...
-São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
section was to be 54 inches (1,371.6 mm) in diameter and to include eight 20,000 hp compression stations. The gas delivered to São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
was planned to be 15 bcm per annum. The Brazil-Argentina section with capacity of 18 bcm per annum was to include eight 15,000 hp compressor stations.
Financing
The project was to be financed by Petróleos de Venezuela S.A.Petróleos de Venezuela S.A.
Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. is the Venezuelan state-owned petroleum company. It has activities in exploration, production, refining and exporting oil, as well as exploration and production of natural gas...
, Andean Development Corporation, and Caixa Econômica Federal
Caixa Econômica Federal
Caixa Econômica Federal , also referred to as Caixa or CEF, is a Brazilian bank. It is the largest government-owned financial institution in Latin America. It is the largest bank in Brazil and in Latin America by assets....
with possible participation of other public institutions and private investors.