The works will benefit 150,000 homes in the regions of Apurímac, Ayacucho, Cusco, Huancavelica, Junín, Puno and Ucayali.
The Peruvian government is evaluating a proposal from the company Cálidda to extend the operating contract that will facilitate the widespread use of natural gas in seven regions, which will entail an investment of more than 1.6 billion soles (US$ 430.7 million), the Private Investment Promotion Agency (ProInversión) reported today.
This approach is being evaluated at a technical level by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem), ProInversión and the Supervisory Body for Investment in Energy and Mining (Osinergmin), which have discussed the issue in a meeting with Cálidda executives.
The Minister of Economy and Finance, José Salardi, explained that the extension of the contract, through an addendum, will allow for the widespread use of natural gas and benefit the inhabitants of Apurímac, Ayacucho, Cusco, Huancavelica, Junín, Puno and Ucayali, thereby contributing to closing gaps in a decentralized manner, as the main focus of the Government.
Addendum
The Minister of Economy mentioned that this addendum is part of a package of projects that the government estimates will be feasible in the first half of 2025 and that includes energy, gas, transport (airport) and irrigation, among others.
In this special assignment, the MEF has empowered ProInversión to lead these processes, which are mostly carried out through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP).
For his part, the executive director of ProInversión, Luis del Carpio, added that Cálidda's proposal considers the construction of 2,500 kilometers of gas distribution networks, with an investment of more than 1.6 billion soles, without contributions from the State.
Connection
Del Carpio said that the execution of the project will initially allow the connection of 150,000 homes and will benefit about 800,000 residents. With this, “families will have access to a cheaper, cleaner and safer source of energy,” he said.
The project would also generate around 9,000 direct and indirect jobs, contribute 2.1 billion soles to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and help reduce 195,000 tons of CO2.
Currently, Cálidda - Gas Natural de Lima y Callao has a 33-year concession (since 2000) to design, build and operate the natural gas distribution system in Lima and Callao, where it has made connections for residential, commercial, industrial and vehicular use in 41 of 43 districts through 18,000 kilometers of networks built for 1.7 billion dollars.
To achieve mass expansion in seven regions, Cálidda has the Grupo Energía Bogotá as its main shareholder, which plans to extend the current concession period and the respective intervention zones.
