A sign at a gas station in Mar del Plata, Argentina, reads: "There is no gas." Photo: El Destape.
In the Argentinian city of Mar del Plata, a large number of neighborhoods have been left without natural gas amid a severe cold front, as a consequence of President Javier Milei’s policy of progressive reduction of gas supply to houses.
Argentinian media reported on Wednesday, July 3, that the situation generated concern among the people of Mar del Plata and led to the interruption of activities in various establishments.
The cuts affected neighborhoods in the southern part of the city, such as Bosque Peralta Ramos, Santa Celina, and RumencĂł, as well as more distant areas such as Playa Grande, Alto Camet, ConstituciĂłn, Malvinas Argentinas, Libertad, Colinas de Peralta Ramos, and Parque Luro.
Issues with natural gas were also reported in sectors such as Las Heras, Lomas del Golf, Las Lilas, and El JardĂn.
According to the newspaper Tiempo Argentino, homes and establishments in Mar del Plata experienced pressure drops that led to the interruption of the supply. “The gas meter regulator in each home has an automatic cut-off system in the event of a sudden drop in pressure, which prevents the normal operation of the appliances. A manual intervention is necessary to reestablish the supply,” the outlet reported.
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This is a result of a ongoing restrictions of gas distribution that started last Sunday. It had already impacted Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) refueling stations, and the situation turned more serious on Wednesday, with homes and businesses being affected directly.
Argentinian alternative media El Destape remarked that, although Argentina has the second largest unconventional gas reserves in the world, located in the Vaca Muerta formation, the principal cities of the country are experiencing gas shortages in a harsh winter due to the lack of the necessary investments for the extraction and distribution of the fuel.
“When Javier Milei’s government took office, it announced the total paralysis of public works, which included the key infrastructure for the distribution of gas,” El Destape explained. “The reduction of oil and gas production at record levels and the dismantling of infrastructure has increased in the last year. This lack of investment by the government forces Argentina to import fuels at three times the local value and to pay for them in dollars, despite the shortage of foreign currency.”
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
