A returning misinformation: the ex-Néstor Kirchner gas pipeline was not a "simulation"; it has been operating since August 2023.

“Remember when they pretended to inaugurate the Néstor Kirchner gas pipeline and the pipe didn't go anywhere? How disastrous,” says a post on X with a photograph of former President Alberto Fernández and former Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, next to a pipeline valve.

“So there's no gas? Look at that... Never forget that Alberto and Cristina staged a scene to make you believe they were inaugurating the Néstor Kirchner gas pipeline, and then they dismantled it. Remember,” another Instagram post states, accompanied by a video showing a group of workers standing next to a pipeline, while the voice can be heard saying, “They're dismantling what Cristina inaugurated yesterday.”

President Javier Milei republished similar content on X, which is also circulating on Facebook.

The country is facing a winter of record temperatures, which led Milei's government to suspend gas supplies to industries and service stations on July 2 to ensure household supplies. It also eliminated reference prices for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders, arguing that free pricing contributes to a healthier market.

On July 4, the gas transportation system was normalized , and the government lifted the restrictions.

In this context, disinformation content ( 1 , 2 ) was circulated again, previously verified by Reverso —an alliance coordinated by AFP and Chequeado— linked to the Gasoducto Perito Francisco Pascacio Moreno (GPFM), formerly known as Presidente Néstor Kirchner (GPNK).

The GPFM transports natural gas from the Vaca Muerta fields in the southwestern province of Neuquén to various consumption centers. It has two gas compression plants, located in the districts of Tratayén (Neuquén) and Salliqueló (Buenos Aires province).

On July 9, 2023, the first section of the pipeline in Salliqueló, stretching over 500 kilometers, was inaugurated to increase gas transportation capacity.

There, then-President Alberto Fernández, Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, and Economy Minister and presidential candidate Sergio Massa manually activated an operating valve.

Some users are sharing photographs of the event, including one showing a seemingly isolated section of pipe, to claim that the gas pipeline "leads nowhere" and that officials falsely inaugurated the project.

But what the publications share is a partial image of the pipeline's layout.

In a sequence of publications made on July 10, 2023 in X by the state-owned company Energía Argentina, in charge of the construction of the work, a photo is attached showing the interconnection of this gas pipeline, which transports gas from Vaca Muerta, with the Neuba II gas pipeline, towards Greater Buenos Aires, official sources and specialists reported to Chequeado in July 2023.

Along with the photo of the project, Energía Argentina noted that most of the pipeline is buried underground, and that the visible structure is referred to as "surface facilities."

The photo shows the interconnection of the President Néstor Kirchner Gas Pipeline with the NEUBA II pipeline, which is part of the existing natural gas transportation system. Both pipelines are buried underground, as is the interconnection pipeline that connects them. pic.twitter.com/7yKuJASAKN

— Energía Argentina (@Energia_ArgOk) July 10, 2023

At the time, Horacio Mizrahi, from the Argentine Energy Press department, told AFP that the president'sopening was "symbolic," given that "the valve that operates a pipeline transporting gas at very high pressure is only opened by technical personnel who operate the pipeline."

Eduardo Oreste, an energy transportation specialist and former advisor to the Ministry of Energy during Mauricio Macri's administration (2015-2019), confirmed to Chequeado that what is seen in the viral posts is the scraper trap or "smart pig ," a device that cleans pipelines from a launch trap to a receiving one, and assured that the valve used in the act serves to operate that safety mechanism.

After the inauguration, the valve used in the ceremony was removed and the final one installed, which required removing the scraper head. This is evidenced by a video shared by other users featuring a Lusalco SA worker.

A report from the National Gas Regulatory Entity (Enargas) indicates that on August 5, 2023, the transfer of gas from Salliqueló to the Metropolitan Area of ​​Buenos Aires began through the Neuba II gas pipeline.

According to daily reports , the pipeline is operational as of the date of this article's publication. The National Energy Secretariat confirmed this to AFP.

Victor Bronstein , director of the Center for Energy, Policy and Society Studies (CEEPYS), confirmed to AFP Factual that the Perito Moreno gas pipeline (formerly GPNK) is operating, albeit at around 80% of its maximum capacity, due to the cold wave.

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This article is part of Reverso , the collaborative civic journalism project coordinated by Chequeado and AFP to intensify the fight against misinformation during electoral campaigns in Argentina.

To join, please email [email protected].

Authors: Agustín Bagnasco and Sofía Barragán (AFP Factual)

First editor: Manuela Silva (AFP Factual)

Second editor: Manuel Tarricone (Checked)