LatAmOil: YPF to resume oil exports to Chile after 17-year hiatus

Argentina’s national oil company (NOC) YPF is set to begin exporting crude to Chile in June after a 17-year hiatus. Preparations are expected to begin around mid-May, starting with the loading of crude oil into the Oleoducto Trasandino (OTASA) system. The process of setting up the system for permanent dispatch may take up to two weeks to complete.

The OTASA system has been inactive since February 2006, when it was taken offline due to a drop in throughput. The 427-km pipeline line starts at the Puesto Hernández area assigned to state-owned YPF, located in the Rincón de los Sauces zone, and extends along the Los Andes mountain range before proceeding to the Talcahuano refinery, which belongs to ENAP, Chile’s NOC.

YPF expects the process of filling the 427-km OTASA system to a level sufficient to ensure that the crude can flow continuously to take around two weeks. As a result, exports to Chile can be expected to resume in June.