YPF says it has reached a preliminary agreement with Excelerate Energy L.P. for the charter of a methane carrier, which will transport LNG produced by the TANGO FLNG unit located in Bahía Blanca, to the global natural gas markets.
Both parties have pledged to make the agreement effective during the next days, with the purpose of starting operations during the first week of September.
The gas, coming mainly from Vaca Muerta, will be processed by the Tango FLNG unit at the port in Bahía Blanca and from there it will be delivered by the Belgian flagged Excalibur with a storage capacity of 138,000 m3. YPF product will be loaded to the methane carrier through of an operation that will last approximately 45 days.
The ship provided by Excelerate has proven experience in the main international LNG terminals, and as part of this agreement, will be providing services to YPF until May 2020. It will be one of a pair of gas carriers that YPF will use to transport Argentine LNG to the world markets. YPF will become the first Argentine company to export LNG in history.
Bahía Blanca GasPort®, located 400 miles south of Buenos Aires in the port city of Bahía Blanca, was Argentina’s first LNG receiving facility. Providing access to Argentina’s gas grid, the facility delivers much-needed natural gas to industrial, commercial and residential customers.
About Excelerate Energy
Excelerate Energy L.P. is a US-based LNG company located in The Woodlands, Texas. It is part of a privately held US energy group that also includes Kaiser Francis Oil Co, an E&P company with production in the US and Canada along with significant midstream assets, and Cactus Drilling Co, the largest private drilling company in the US. Excelerate is the pioneer and market leader in innovative floating LNG solutions, providing integrated services along the entire LNG value chain with an objective of delivering rapid-to-market and reliable LNG solutions to customers. Excelerate offers a full range of floating regasification services from FSRU to infrastructure development to LNG supply.
About YPF
YPF is the main energy company in Argentina and leader in the production of non-conventional resources. It is an integrated energy company that generates a varied offer: natural gas, electricity, fuels, petrochemical inputs, lubricants and agricultural products, among others. It has more than 1500 service stations that allow it to supply all points of the country.