Brazil’s Energy Research Office (EPE) has included the 593-kilometer Phase 2 of the Uruguaiana-Porto Alegre Gas Pipeline project in Rio Grande do Sul in its plan to expand the national gas pipeline network to meet the potentially growing demand for natural gas driven by imports of Vaca Muerta shale gas from Argentina.

The 24-inch-diameter pipeline can transport 15 million cubic meters per day. The project is estimated to cost R$6.83 billion, including 30% funded by equity and 70% from financing sources such as the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES).