As part of the development, YPF plans to build a 70-million cu m/day (MMcmd) (2.47-bcfd) Integrated Gas Treatment Plant (IGTP) in the Meseta Buena Esperanza block, about 22 km from the access to Plaza Huincul in Neuquén province. The plant is expected to require a $2.1-billion investment and begin operating in 2030.
IGTP will receive production from three dedicated blocks: Las Tacanas, Meseta Buena Esperanza, and Aguada Villanueva. Upstream development calls for about 1,416 wet gas wells across roughly 330 well pads, connected to the plant through about 300 km of gathering trunklines. Development will proceed in phases aligned with the startup of the two FLNG units.
Initial project documents call for two processing trains with capacity of 25 MMcmd each, for a total of 50 MMcmd (1.77 bcfd). YPF said processing capacity ultimately will increase to about 70 MMcmd, although it has not yet detailed the expansion configuration required to reach that volume.
The IGTP will comprise two operating blocks. The first will include gas reception and primary separation, condensate treatment and storage, and produced-water handling and injection. The second will house gas treatment units, utilities, and operating buildings.
Treated and compressed gas will be transported through a dedicated 48-in. OD pipeline extending about 520 km to the FLNG units off the Río Negro coast. A parallel 24-in. pipeline will carry unstabilized condensate to a fractionation and export plant in Río Negro. The pipelines will follow a dedicated corridor, with part of the route in Río Negro shared with the Vaca Muerta Oil Sur crude pipeline project.
The IGTP will occupy 54.9 hectares within a 174.9-hectare industrial development on a 525-hectare site. The site will also include four flare systems occupying 15.4 hectares and 120 hectares dedicated to temporary construction infrastructure.
Power will be supplied by four 23.79-Mw turbine generators with a combined installed capacity of 95.16 Mw. The units will operate primarily on natural gas and will be capable of running on diesel.
Water will be supplied from the Neuquén River through a 20-in. OD, 15.8-km aqueduct. Estimated demand is 5,064 cu m/day, while the system will be capable of transporting up to 29,000 cu m/day. A diversion installation will distribute water between the IGTP and hydraulic fracturing operations.
YPF selected a SACDE-Tecnimont consortium to advance detailed engineering and execution planning. Construction is scheduled for 2027-30 and remains subject to a final investment decision on the full project, which is expected by yearend. Both FLNG units are expected to be operating by 2031.
