Safe gas from Ramos
A new amine processing plant, built in record time despite diverse challenges, strengthens regional operations.
A tower the height of a six-story building travelled from Comodoro Rivadavia to northwest Argentina before being installed in Ramos, Salta. The journey took it along winding mountain roads, steep slopes and narrow passes, along with other heavy equipment transported on oversized flatbed trucks. “Seeing those first pieces arrive and watching the 19-meter tower rise against the lush green landscape of the Yungas was really rewarding,” recalls Agustín Gangemi, Facilities Manager and leader of the project to build the sweetening plant at the site, achieved in record time.
He goes on to recount how they set up “A modular amine plant that uses amines, which is what we call the chemical compounds that remove CO₂ and other corrosive substances from the gas, so that this can meet the specifications required for transport and sale.” The goal is to bring the CO₂ concentration down to below 2% on a molar basis, meaning fewer than two parts of CO₂ for every 100 parts of gas.
From South to North.The equipment was transported along winding roads.
The plant was built to treat gas produced at the Ramos field and help lower the overall CO₂ concentration of gas from the Northwest Basin to within required limits. This became necessary after the reversal of the Northern Gas Pipeline, which required standardized gas quality across the system. The project was also part of Tecpetrol’s investment commitments that are linked to the extension of operating contracts in the area, confirmed in January 2026.
“We worked to a really tight schedule. We started in April and by December 6 we were already sweetening the gas,” explains Agustín. Careful planning and teamwork were essential to deal with the substantial challenges of assembling the plant on site, including welding 3,600 inches of piping between two process modules which had to be installed separately for safety reasons.
To improve safety and productivity, the team worked on an overnight schedule at the Ramos camp from Monday to Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. This reduced the need for long daily commutes from distant towns and allowed workers to rest properly on site.
Well-grounded
The project involved assembling a modular gas treatment plant made up of two main modules. While one sweetens the gas with amine, removing acidic components, the other regenerates the amine so it can be reused in the process. Each module includes a range of equipment such as filters, separators, contactor towers, air coolers, a reboiler and pumps.
Agustín Gangemi.The leader of the project that’s now operational after barely a few months.
The sweetening plant’s main objective is to remove acidic compounds such as carbon dioxide (CO₂) and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) from the gas. According to Argentine Gas Standards (NAG), this treatment is necessary to meet quality specifications, prevent corrosion in pipelines and facilities, and reduce environmental impacts. Once treated, the gas can be safely transported, processed and sold.
The plant has a nominal capacity of around 900 million m3 of gas per day, although the exact throughput depends on the amount of CO₂ present in the incoming gas, how much needs to be in outgoing gas, and how much of the acid load needs to be removed.
“The level of treatment depends on the kind of gas we receive,” explains Agustín. “It’s not the same to process gas that comes in with 2.5% CO₂ and bring it down to 2%, as it is to treat gas that arrives with 3.7% CO₂ and reduce it to 1.6%, which is what we’re doing here. Today, we’re able to bring CO₂ content down from 3.7% to 1.6% while treating between 800 and 900 million m3 of gas per day,” he adds.
These volumes will help to balance the quality of treated gas from the Chango Norte and Aguaragüe fields, benefiting the entire Northwest Basin. “Meeting these quality standards strengthens our operation and supports the long-term sustainability of the business,” concludes Agustín.