TGS - Natural gas liquids (NGL) project, Tratayén - Bahía Blanca
The largest natural gas liquids project in Argentina's history: a fractionation plant for 2.7 million tonnes a year of propane, butane and natural gasoline, a 20-inch liquids pipeline from Tratayén to Bahía Blanca and an export terminal at Puerto Galván. Final investment decision taken in June 2026, 45 months of construction and start-up expected in March 2030.
The projectwhat it is, the route, the owners, the works and the contractors
Who owns it
Transportadora de Gas del Sur (TGS) verif Mar 11, 2026 ↗
The works, milestone by milestone
The company reports that it has already issued purchase orders for every piece of equipment deemed critical —turbines and modules among them— and that manufacturers are producing them, with an estimated execution period of 45 to 46 months.
The company tells the market that the project has been «submitted to be approved under the RIGI», with 45 months of construction and start-up expected in March 2030.
The TGS board takes the final investment decision on the Integrated NGLs Project and signs the commercial agreements with YPF, Pluspetrol, Pluspetrol Cuenca Neuquina and Chevron Argentina. Verbatim from the filing with the SEC: «On June 10, 2026, the Company's Board of Directors approved the development of the Integrated NGLs Project, to be carried out through its subsidiaries Procesadora de Gas del Sur S.A. (PGS) and Midstream de Gas del Sur S.A. (MGS), incorporated as Single Project Vehicles (VPU)».
TGS presents the project in New York: around USD 3 billion, 45 months of construction, four provinces, 4,000 direct and 15,000 indirect jobs and exports of around USD 1.2 billion a year.
Who already has a contract
The project has been filed under the RIGI and has not been approved yet. Construction awards come later.
How to supply itwhere to register, what they ask for and what they will buy
How to become a supplier
To two different legal entities, depending on which side of the route the work sits on, and mixing them up costs you the whole commercial cycle. The Tratayén plant and the gathering pipeline belong to PROCESADORA DE GAS DEL SUR S.A., registered at Cecilia Grierson 355, Buenos Aires City. The pipeline, the fractionation plant and the export terminal belong to MIDSTREAM DE GAS DEL SUR S.A. Both are special-purpose vehicles created for this project and controlled by TGS: you do not invoice the parent company.
Purchasing is decided by TGS centrally from Buenos Aires, for both vehicles. ⚠️ And there is a scheduling fact that changes what to aim at: the company said in August 2026 that it had already issued purchase orders for all critical equipment, so the window that remains open is not equipment but assembly, civil works, pipe laying and construction services. On the Neuquén side there is also Centro PyME-ADENEU, which certifies Neuquén Suppliers and audits the 60 % floor set by Ley 3338.
The registration routes that exist today, with their status. The one that is up and running is not always the official one.
Certified Neuquén Supplier accreditation (Ley 3338) — Centro PyME-ADENEU
up and running today⭐ It reaches this project, and that is not obvious: the regime binds not only hydrocarbon operators but also transport and fractionation companies and those in services, engineering and construction classified as large by the national tax authority. The Neuquén part of the project —the Tratayén plant and the gathering pipeline— falls inside it.
Go to the single windowabrirNeuquén Value Chain Platform — the public register of certified suppliers
up and running today1,002 certified companies as of 28 August 2026, with their category. Useful for knowing how many competitors you have: midstream has a single certified company, production and reservoirs 2 and upstream 2, against 283 in engineering and facilities construction.
Go to the single windowabrirWhat they ask you for
Certified Neuquén Supplier status, and the band decides what it is worth: A gives 9 % preference, B gives 6 % verif May 20, 2022 ↗With a bid up to 9 % (band A) or 6 % (band B) above the best non-certified offer, the supplier wins the preference and must then match that price. What the rule delivers is awarded volume, not unit margin.
The two boxes that leave you out before you start, and the 65-point minimum verif Dec 14, 2022 ↗The coefficient allocates 30 points to Company regime, 30 to Local employment, 20 to shareholding or share capital, 10 to the location of registered offices and 10 to bases and offices. The minimum to certify is 65 points —band B from 65 to 79, band A from 80 to 100— and scoring zero on Company regime or on Local employment disqualifies you even if the rest adds up.
⚠️ On the Buenos Aires side of the route the provincial regime is a DIFFERENT one, and this project lives in both jurisdictions verif Aug 3, 2026 ↗The pipeline, the fractionation plant and the terminal are in the province of Buenos Aires, which has its own local-purchase regime, and the route also crosses Río Negro and La Pampa. A supplier certified in Neuquén covers the Tratayén plant and the gathering pipeline; for the rest of the works, the regime that applies is not Neuquén's.
The local content floor changes by province and runs from 50% to 80%: before bidding you need to know which of the four the work front falls in. verif Oct 18, 2012 ↗The local content floor is NOT the same in the four provinces the route crosses, and the highest is not the Neuquén one. Río Negro: 60% of contracts for goods, services and works to Río Negro suppliers, with the local firm's right to match the best bid if it does not exceed it by more than 8% (Law 5805, arts. 6 and 7). Buenos Aires: 50%, split into 30% two years from effective start and 20% three years from the start of operations (Law 15,510, art. 13). La Pampa: 80% of labour, suppliers and services from the province, the highest bar in the country, with three years of prior establishment required of the supplier and the same obligation running down to subcontractors (Law 2675, arts. 12 and 13). Neuquén: 60% under Law 3338. ⛔ And one warning that decides where it pays to establish: the La Pampa and Río Negro floors bind PROVINCIAL permits and concessions, and whether they reach a transport system of national jurisdiction is unresolved.
The order you get in by
Work out which province the work you want to sell into falls in, because this project crosses four and the local-purchase regime changes in each one. The Tratayén plant and the 97 km gathering pipeline are Neuquén; the pipeline runs through Río Negro and La Pampa; the fractionation plant and the terminal are Buenos Aires. before any paperwork
For the Neuquén side: get certified as a Neuquén Supplier with Centro PyME-ADENEU. The regime reaches this project because the parties bound by it include transport and fractionation companies, not only operators. the score is calculated on the average of three years of turnover tax returns
Aim at the category still open rather than the one already closed: the company said in August 2026 that purchase orders for all critical equipment had gone out. What gets contracted from here on is assembly, civil works, pipe laying, non-destructive testing, construction logistics and camp services. 45 to 46 months of construction through March 2030
Invoice the right vehicle rather than the parent company: Procesadora de Gas del Sur for the Neuquén works, Midstream de Gas del Sur for the pipeline, the fractionation plant and the terminal. on every contract
What it will buy, and when
A 2.7 MM t/yr C3+ fractionation plant and a 20-inch liquids pipeline to Bahía Blanca: the project exists because Vaca Muerta's gas liquids are growing faster than the capacity to separate and move them. The window for the transport works opens before the window for production services on the same fluid.
A 20-inch liquids pipeline and a fractionation plant in operation leave a permanent market along the whole route to Bahía Blanca: line integrity, right of way, plant maintenance and product logistics, with nearby suppliers on every stretch.
Each phase buys different things at different times. The links lead to the matching market or trade.
Engineering, procurement and permits
under wayWith the investment decision taken and the supply contracts signed, what is running now is detailed engineering, equipment procurement, and the route and easement work for a pipeline that crosses four provinces.
No catalogued supplier yet: land and right-of-way management for a route crossing Neuquén, Río Negro, La Pampa and Buenos Aires, with a different permitting regime in each province
They are not buying any of this today. Open the phase to see the detail and arrive qualified the day it goes to tender.
Construction: Tratayén plant, gathering line, pipeline, fractionation and terminal45 to 46 months from the start; start-up expected in March 2030not started22 ítems+
Two new processing modules at Tratayén, 97 km of gathering pipeline, the 20-inch liquids pipeline to Bahía Blanca, the fractionation plant at the Cerri complex and the export terminal at Puerto Galván. This is where assembly, civil works, pipe laying and all the construction logistics come in.
No catalogued supplier yet: certified heavy plate fabrication for pressurised and cryogenic storage tanks for propane, butane and natural gasoline, which is the tier of metalwork currently imported
Operation and exportfrom March 2030, with long-term supply contracts already signednot started14 ítems+
Fractionation of 2.7 million tonnes a year of propane, butane and natural gasoline, and shipment by sea from Puerto Galván. The permanent demand is plant operation and maintenance, pipeline integrity along the whole route, and product logistics.
What it will need and has no supplier for yet
Propane and butane storage and logistics in the window before 2029
highThe project does not come on stream until 2029 or 2030, but the rich gas that will feed it is already being produced: today the chain exports as gas a value that is worth far more downstream. That time gap is the opening, and it is identified in our own midstream analysis: fractionation, propane and butane storage and LPG logistics in the interim window. Whoever builds capacity now uses it during the years when the fractionation plant does not yet exist, and afterwards is positioned as back-up capacity when it starts up.
Pressure vessels and storage spheres fabricated locally
mediumFractionating 2.7 million tonnes of liquids a year requires pressurized and cryogenic tankage: spheres, tanks and pressure vessels with a fabrication code, qualified welding and certified non-destructive testing. It is the highest rung of metalworking and it is exactly where local supply falls short: the province measures that only 27% of contracting goes to certified Neuquén firms against the 60% the rule requires, and pressure vessels are among the first items to be imported. The window is the project's procurement decision, not its operation.
Route and easement management for the pipeline to Bahía Blanca
mediumThe pipeline taking the liquids to Bahía Blanca crosses hundreds of kilometers and more than one jurisdiction, and each stretch is a separate agreement: right of way, crossings of roads, railways and watercourses, permits province by province and compensation to the surface owner. It is pure management work, prior to the first weld, that conditions the entire schedule and that nobody quantifies on the niche map. The window opens with the final investment decision and closes before construction.
We cross what you manufacture or do against the 3 phases of this project and tell you which ones you fit into and when each one buys. Two pages, with the evidence behind them.
Analyze my companyWhat it leaves in Neuquénjobs, works, taxes, promises and the outlook
The works that stay behind
The infrastructure that stays standing once the works end, with its size and its source.
Liquids export pipeline from Tratayén to Bahía Blanca
Productiveinches in diameter and 577 km according to the investor presentation, 477 km according to the earnings presentation issued the same day
the basin's whole liquids chain and the four provinces it crosses: Neuquén, Río Negro, La Pampa and Buenos Aires
⚠️ The company published TWO lengths on the same day, 3 August 2026, and neither is picked over the other: the investor presentation says «20” Poliduct - 577 km» and the earnings presentation says «477-km NGL pipeline». ⛔ And the 573 km that circulate as this pipeline's length are NOT its own: they belong to the Perito Moreno gas pipeline, an ENARSA asset that TGS operates and maintains, described separately in the same slides as «Perito Moreno Pipeline (GPM) 573 km», 36 inches.
Vaca Muerta gathering pipeline to segregate the rich gas stream
Productiveaccording to the investor presentation; around 100 km and 43 million m³ a day according to the board's market filing
the basin's producers: it is what allows the liquids-rich stream to be separated before it enters the transport system
Verbatim from the project slide: «New Gathering Pipeline - 97 km». The board's filing of 10 June describes it as a segregation pipeline of around 100 km and 43 million cubic metres a day, within the USD 1.1 billion invested on the Neuquén side.
Two new processing modules at the Tratayén plant
Productivethe province of Neuquén: it is the facility that turns rich gas into separated liquids, and it stays on the Neuquén side of the chain
Verbatim from the project slide: «2 New Processing Modules (4 modules in total)» at the Tratayén plant. It is the work of the Neuquén vehicle, Procesadora de Gas del Sur, which concentrates USD 1.1 billion of the project's USD 3 billion.
Liquids fractionation plant at the Cerri complex, Bahía Blanca
Productivemillion tonnes a year of propane, butane and natural gasoline
the petrochemical and export chain of Bahía Blanca: it is where the liquid is split into the products that get sold
Verbatim from the project slide: «New Fractionation Plant (2.7 MM mt/year C3+)». The earnings presentation of the same day pins down where: «Fractionation plant in Cerri».
Export terminal with storage at Puerto Galván
Productivethe port of Bahía Blanca and the country's whole liquids export chain
Verbatim from the project slide: «New Export Terminal (1 Tk 100,000 m3 C3 / 1 Tk 70,000 m3 C4 / 2 Tks 60,000 m3 C5+)» at the Galván port in Bahía Blanca. It is the work of the Bahía Blanca vehicle, Midstream de Gas del Sur, which concentrates USD 1.9 billion.
What it already pays in taxes and royalties
The project has been filed under the RIGI and has not been approved yet. Royalties and production taxes begin with operation.
Who promised what
We have not surveyed the public promises about this project. A dated, verifiable commitment with its source closes them.
What could stall itrisks and how to track them
- What could stall it — We have not documented this project’s risks. An identifiable vector with its source closes them.
- How to tell whether it is advancing — We have not defined this project’s indicators: what observable fact marks its progress still has to be identified.
How we verified thisthe act, the gaps and the sources
The RIGI act, in detail
The project has been filed under the RIGI and has not been approved yet. The instrument is published in the Boletín Oficial once the Committee approves the accession.
What we could not confirm
There are 4 in this project. Each says why it could not be confirmed and what it would take to close it.
H-01When construction starts and when operation begins+
The schedule of a RIGI project is read in the recitals of its admission resolution, and this project has no resolution published in the Official Gazette yet: it has been filed or announced, not approved. What circulates in the press are tentative company dates, with no act fixing them.
H-02How long the pipeline actually is: 577 km or 477 km+
Both figures were published by the same company on the same day, 3 August 2026: 577 km in the investor presentation and 477 km in the earnings one. We do not average them, we do not take the larger one and we do not choose quietly: both are published. ⛔ And the figure that circulated before, 573 km, is ruled out: it is the length of the Perito Moreno gas pipeline, another asset TGS operates for ENARSA.
H-03Who is building it: not a single construction contractor has been made public+
Neither the assembly, nor the pipe laying, nor the fractionation plant, nor the terminal has an awarded contractor with a name, an amount and a date in any open source. What is confirmed is that the tendering exists: the company said in June 2025 that it had already received equipment bids and launched an assembly tender, and in August 2026 that the critical equipment orders had gone out. The winners were not published. ⚠️ And there is a confusion worth avoiding: the joint venture with SACDE that appears in TGS's financial statements belongs to the Perito Moreno gas pipeline, not to this project.
H-04How much processing capacity the two new Tratayén modules add+
The company publishes that there are two modules and that the plant ends up with four, but not how many cubic metres a day each one adds.
- 10+ years in data science for clients across Europe and the Americas
- Certified in AI governance (ISO/IEC 42001)
- Machine Learning (Google Cloud)
- Registered expert with the European Commission