Platts reported that Enarsa PDVSA a joint venture of Argentina's and Venezuela's state oil companies has received three technical bids for a contract related to the construction of Argentina's first onshore LNG receiving terminal.

Mr Carlos Davidson institutional relations manager of Enarsa said that in addition, economic bids are to be opened in 10 days or so. He said that the contract is for consulting, engineering studies and bidding documents for a subsequent auction to find a builder of the terminal.

Mr Davidson said that possible locations for the facility are in the ports of Bahia Blanca, Ensenada, Quequen and San Antonio Oeste. It would have initial capacity of 10 million cu m/d of gas and later may be expanded to 20 million cu m/d of gas. But he declined to name the bidders.

Argentina is stepping up energy imports in the face of sagging production of oil and gas at its fields and limited exploration and refining capacity, as well as lower than expected gas deliveries from Bolivia, its only source of foreign gas delivered via pipeline.

It said that now in a fifth straight year of energy shortages, Argentina is importing increasing amounts of diesel, fuel oil and gas to feed a robust economy. This year it began importing LNG for the first time, bringing in the equivalent of 8 million cu m/d of gas that is unloaded at a floating regasification terminal in Bahia Blanca.