Dorgathen explained in a press conference that natural gas production in 2014 was 59 million cubic meters per day and is currently around 38 million cubic meters per day.

The chair argued that this decline is grounded in past years, “there was not a large number of exploratory projects being carried out,” adding that hydrocarbon production comes mostly from the four mega-fields in Bolivia.

The leader indicated that 83% of the production comes from those naturally fractured reservoirs, characterized by once production begins they have high flow rates; notwithstanding when they begin to decline they have the tendency for this process to occur much faster.

However, he cleared that starting in 2020, by the time President Luis Arce took his post; YPFB started a reactivation plan involving the execution of different gas exploration and exploitation projects.

We have over 42 projects that had been carried out or that we are carrying out as YPFB, of which we had already executed several ones, others that are being executed, some more that are in the process of approval and others that are being developed,” he said.

The head mentioned that those projects include YOPE X1, Yarara X1 and X2, among others; in addition to the reactivation of the Churumas X2 and Remanso X1 and X2 wells, which were investigated and identified as having been drilled several years ago.

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