ARPEL participated in the 2nd International Forum of Gas, Petrochemicals and Green Fuels held August 19-23 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. The event was organized by the Ministry of Hydrocarbons, YPFB and the Bolivian Chamber of Hydrocarbons.

The Executive Secretary of ARPEL, Mr. Izeusse Braga, participated in the panel on "Global Gas Market and its Challenges" together with Alfonso Blanco, Secretary General of OLADE (Latin American Energy Organization), Luis Bertrán, Secretary General of IGU (International Gas Union), and Dmitri Sokolov, Head of the Department of Forecasting and Economic Energy of the GECF (Gas Exporting Countries Forum).

In his presentation, Braga noted that the LNG market continues to grow, providing greater liquidity, flexibility and gas-to-gas competition. He recalled that the global market for natural gas grew 5.3 % in 2018 (BP), mainly driven by China and Southeast Asia.

Regarding Bolivia, he said, "there is an opportunity for Bolivia because it has natural gas, a fuel that provides firmness and flexibility to energy systems when incorporating intermittent energies." "It also has reserves of lithium that is one of the most important resources for energy storage technologies," he added.

He further noted, "in light of the decrease in gas needs by Argentina and Brazil in the short and medium term, Bolivia should seek new market alternatives, promote industrialization and encourage the local use of gas.”

Finally, he said, "regional integration should be a top priority today in Bolivia and in the Southern Cone because it fosters the expansion of the market and provides significant opportunities to attract investment, develop projects, bring greater prosperity and reduce GHG emissions. "