The President Albert Fernandez is having a series of meetings with different businessmen. The intention is to tell about their plans to control inflation and also to ask for their collaboration in that objective, and thus lean on the establishment in the midst of the vacuum left by its vice president Cristina Kirchner. That is why for now the choice of businessmen was aimed at energy and food issues. She transpired that she invited the Quinta de Olivos to Paolo Rocca, owner of Techint and, according to what he himself told in an interview, that he had met with Luis Pagani, CEO of Arcor.
To these entrepreneurs are added Joseph Louis Manzanowho was having a coffee in Olivos three weeks ago, and also a meal with Alexander Bulgheronioil company owner Pan American Energy and one of the richest men in Argentina.
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The inflation was a crucial topic in every conversation. For this reason, the President added to the meetings with Rocca and Pagani to the Minister of Economy Martin Guzman. In the case of Arcor’s owner, he was asked to help curb inflation, as he is one of the most important players in the food industry. That item, according to the April report of the indec, it had year-on-year inflation of 62 percent, the third highest behind apparel and hotels and restaurants.
With Paolo Rocca The talk revolved around energy issues and especially the gas pipeline from Dead cowof which the construction has not yet been tendered, but the purchase of the seamless tubes that will be provided by the company Tenaris, of the Techint Group. This work is one of the most important in energy matters because it will increase Vaca Muerta’s unconventional gas production capacity, but it also has an economic side, because it could become a source of income in dollars if agreements are reached with other countries. to export the surplus. That would swell the public coffers and also the reserves of the Central bank.
Rocca took advantage of the meeting to make a unique request: he told the president –and also Minister Guzmán– that it is necessary to organize dialogue in the area of Energy. Today that government secretariat sends confusing messages to the energy sector: who is in charge, Darío Martínez or Federico Basualdo? Who answers to Guzmán? Martínez is the Secretary of Energy and Basualdo the Undersecretary. The latter had the remembered episode in which it was announced that he had been fired, but he resisted in his position and could not be displaced because he had the support of Cristina Kirchner. From that day it became clear that the portfolio of Energy it was not governed by those who had the highest positions.
In short, Rocca exposed a criticism that the entire universe of energy entrepreneurs has that there is no clear line of command. In the words of Christina: They need to talk to the starters, not the substitutes.
Dinner with Rocca – in which Luis Betnaza also participated – led to an unusual visit by the Italian-Argentine businessman, who attended the official announcement to make access to foreign currency more flexible for companies in the hydrocarbon sector. A measure to encourage investment in Vaca Muerta. It was rumored that some high-level businessmen, whose companies were represented at the event by managers or directors, regretted not having come when they found out that Rocca had been there. Calculation errors.
That announcement was attended by José Luis Manzano, one of the new owners of Edenor, but also owner of oil projects. Manzano had been with Alberto Fernández two weeks before that act. They had a coffee alone in Olivos.
The next
The meetings will continue. It is planned to organize one with Marcelo Mindlinowner of Pampa Energy, a relevant company in electricity and hydrocarbon businesses. In terms of oil and gas, it has investments in Vaca Muerta, among other areas, and within the electricity business it participates in two of the three stages of that business (generation, transportation and distribution). It has generation with hydroelectric plants, wind farms and thermal power plants, and also transportation with Transener. Until recently it was also in the distribution business, with Edenor, but it was sold to Manzano, Daniel Vila and Mauricio Filiberti.
mindlin is interested in participating in the construction of one of the sections of the gas pipeline Dead cow. If the meeting with the President takes place, that will be a topic of conversation.
another wanted is Luis Pérez Companc, owner of Molinos Río de la Plata, the other large food company in the country. With Perez Companc, the President had meetings in 2020 and since then he has not seen him again. There are informal channels of communication with this business group, which also has investments in the oil business.
The meetings with the red circle will continue.
