Piura currently produces and consumes approximately 60 million cubic feet per day of natural gas but holds potential reserves of 5.5 trillion cubic feet, representing more than 90,000 times current daily production. Olympic Peru, a key operator in the region, increased production from 25 million cubic feet per day in 2024 to 40 million in 2025, with targets to reach 50 million in 2026. The company now supplies roughly 60 percent of Piura’s gas consumption and reports 145 billion cubic feet of proven reserves. Olympic’s legal manager José Carlos Guzmán emphasized that the region requires predictability, long-term horizons, and investment incentives to justify high-risk exploration commitments.
The proposed pipeline would traverse Paita, Sechura, and Bayóvar before reaching Eten, running parallel to existing Gasnorp infrastructure in Piura. Fernández noted the project is conceptually viable given available reserves and anchor demand but requires regulatory changes. Current frameworks do not provide special tariffs for northern electricity generation, unlike concessions held by Cálidda in Lima and Contugas in Ica. Without adjusted policies enabling these plants to operate at baseload capacity, the project cannot achieve commercial viability. The initiative comes as Camisea, which supplies 96 percent of Peru’s residential natural gas and 40 percent of national electricity, faces depletion within 13 to 15 years according to Perupetro projections.
This article was curated and published as part of our South American energy market coverage.
