A $50 million trust has been created to support the forestry sector in Bolivia. The Government and the Bolivian Forestry Chamber (CFB) signed a cooperation agreement to allow the forestry sector to access international markets. The project contemplates $12 million for international customers of timber producers, under the modality of credit, with low interest during the next five years.
Argentina owes three invoices for the purchase of Bolivian natural gas, according to sources close to the Government. According to estimates by the consultancy Gas Energy Latin America (GELA), the amount to be paid reaches $246 million.
The National Tax Service (SIN) reported that tax collections in January of this year grew 2.8%, compared to the same month in 2019, reaching $388 million. According to the SIN, the increase was the recovery of sectors such as hydrocarbons and mining.
The Santa Cruz Cattle Producers Federation (FEGASACRUZ) reported that coronavirus is affecting the timing of delivery of beef to China and the destination of ports in that country has been changed. It was expected to export 1,000 tonnes of beef in the first months of 2020, but the delivery of this volume cannot be made possible because of the current situation. The country has an exportable surplus of 40,000 tonnes of meat that has to be shipped to China, Peru and other markets.
Bolivia’s Nuclear Energy Agency (ABEN), halted the construction of the Nuclear Development Research Center of El Alto, until the Legislative Assembly and the Office of the Attorney General, which have initiated audits of the project, are committed about it. Bolivia has already paid $351 million for the project. Russia’s Rusatom Overseas is in charge of the project.
State oil company YPFB loses about $60 million per year from the operation of the natural gas liquefaction plant (LNG), according to estimates made by the consultancy Gas Energy Latin America (GELA). To date, the infrastructure operates on average 10% of its installed capacity. It is a 10 million cubic foot (MMpcd) liquefaction plant (MMpcd) and 33 regasification stations in remote populations in Bolivia, costing about $250 million.
The addendum to the gas export contract to Brazil, which will be signed on 7 March, envisages a volume between 14 and 20 million cubic meters per day (MMm3d), a reduction of 35% compared to the previous contract. The time of the agreement will be two to four years, and Bolivia is trying to index the price not only at the international price of oil but at the global price of LNG.
Statistics from both the Ministry of the Environment and the International Mercury Observatory show that mercury consumption in the country is above 120 tonnes per year for gold activities. In Bolivia, adequate mechanisms for controlling the use of mercury in gold mining activity are lacking, and only 250 of 1800 cooperatives are environmentally licensed, an essential document for their operations.
he Bolivian Stock Exchange (BSE) moved $1.8 billion in 2019, a figure lower than 30% than in 2018, due to the uncertainty generated by the cancelled elections of October 20 and more inferior liquidity in the market. However, demand for companies seeking to finance the public stock exchange grew; $550 million placed in new broadcasts in 2018 and $750 million in 2019. The outlook for 2020 is to reach $12 billion traded.
The Miguillas hydroelectric project costs $397 million. The work involves the construction of two cascading hydroelectric plants, a dam with a height of 29 meters, 22 kilometres of water conduction tunnels and 100 kilometres of access roads, to increase electricity generation by 204 MW, to inject into the National Interconnected System. In 2014 it was awarded to the Spanish company Isolux Corsán Corviam, a company that went bankrupt in Spain and abandoned the works in 2017. ENDE was in charge of the project and subcontracted the Chinese company Railway to build the tunnels and access roads but left the project in November 2019.
