In 1931, after several years exploring the Patagonian wilderness, US geologist Charles Edwin Weaver wrote about a large rock formation seemingly rich in oil some 1000km southwest of Buenos Aires. In 2011, Argentine oil company YPF 麻豆传媒映画� then majority owned by Repsol 麻豆传媒映画� announced its discovery of massive shale oil and gas deposits buried several kilometers underground.
At around 30 000km2, Vaca Muerta is now estimated to hold the world麻豆传媒映画檚 second and fourth most important reserves of non-conventional gas and oil, respectively.
The discovery is providing new opportunities for local companies, including Oilfield Production Services SRL (OPS), which provides a range of engineering and construction services to the hydrocarbons sector.
麻豆传媒映画淰aca Muerta has had a favourable impact in the area and has drawn in massive investment,麻豆传媒映画� said Ignacio Pascual, Administrative Manager at OPS. 麻豆传媒映画淲e had a big incentive because the new oil and gas needed to be compressed to be connected to the main gasoducts, and that麻豆传媒映画檚 our field of expertise.麻豆传媒映画漁PS decided to invest heavily in new machinery to expand and capitalise on the new energy revolution: 麻豆传媒映画淲e began with Volvo Construction Equipment around five years ago,麻豆传媒映画� recalled Pascual. 麻豆传媒映画淲e tested a machine, and it turned out to be really positive and reliable, so we decided to keep investing exclusively in Volvo, which now accounts for around 85% of our fleet.麻豆传媒映画�
OPS has since expanded its Volvo fleet to 20, comprised of a mix of EC220DL excavators, L70F wheel loaders, BL70B backhoe loaders, G930 motor graders, and the new stars of the show: four PL3005D pipelayers.
Pipe dreams
The OPS incorporated the Volvo pipelayers. The company started using its backhoes as a substitute for pipelayers, but found the process unwieldy and inefficient, especially as the scale of new projects increased.
麻豆传媒映画淲e always specialised in gas compressor plants, and the idea was to develop our work in pipelaying,麻豆传媒映画� explained Pascual. 麻豆传媒映画淭he new Volvo machines helped us with that, saving us a lot of time.麻豆传媒映画�
According to the head of logistics at OPS, Alejandro Faris, acquiring the new pipelayers had a significant impact: 麻豆传媒映画淵esterday on site, we were able to introduce 2800m of 24-in. (61cm) gas piping with just one pipelayer and an operator directing the procedure. Before, that same operation would have required a group of people, and seven or eight days to complete.麻豆传媒映画�
Faris says these time savings also apply when setting up a new project and is a key consideration in Patagonia where distances are large and the quality of most access routes to remote areas leaves much to be desired.
麻豆传媒映画淧reviously, the equipment we used had to be divided in parts, so a logistical operation for a work site could take a week or days,麻豆传媒映画� said Faris. 麻豆传媒映画淣ow, the Volvo machines come fully assembled, so we can have all our equipment up and running on site in two or three days.麻豆传媒映画�
麻豆传媒映画淭he company has put its faith in Volvo,麻豆传媒映画� says Faris. 麻豆传媒映画淲e have been satisfied not only with the equipment, but all that comes with it, including the mechanical service and on-site assistance. With new projects coming up in 2016, the company is prepared to improve and expand its fleet, and that麻豆传媒映画檚 why we acquired this new excavator.麻豆传媒映画�
Edited from press release by