
GasOriente Boliviano owns and operates the portion of the Cuiabá
pipeline that transports natural gas through Bolivia to the Brazilian
border. Known as the Río San Miguel - San Matías pipeline,
the pipeline extends from San José de Chiquitos Station (approximately
100 km. distant from the community of San José) to San Matías,
on the border with Brazil. At the border, the pipeline connects to the
Gas Occidente Gas Pipeline, which transports the gas to the EPE Power
Plant in Cuiabá in Matto Grosso Brazil. Construction of the pipeline
began in the second half of 1999 and concluded at the end of 2000, with
commercial operations starting May 1, 2002. From the beginning, all aspects
of construction, operations, and maintenance have complied with government
standards formalized in numerous documents and agreements, and been the
subject of continued inspections and assessments. There is, though, another
commitment that shapes GasOriente’s activities: our sense of responsibility
and respect for the region.
Efforts on behalf of the area’s land and people.
As much as any traditional corporate objectives, GasOriente Boliviano’s
intention to be a good corporate neighbor defines our company. Our goal:
to ensure that our presence in the area fosters sustainable improvements
in neighboring communities, and that our pipeline has the least possible
impact on sensitive ecosystems.
Today, the pipeline has been buried. Its right-of-way has been heavily
re-vegetated, and is well on the way to being restored. Concerns that
construction of the pipeline would encourage new road construction, cattle
raising, or deforestation have proven unfounded. In addition, we’ve
helped indigenous peoples make considerable progress in acquiring title
to their land, and assisted local communities form self-governing groups
so they can guide their own better futures.
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