Innovative Management Strategies to Address Environmental and Social Concerns on a Major Pipeline

Gasoducto Nor Andino is a 1,100 km long natural gas pipeline which runs through one of the most critical environmental and social areas of Argentina and Chile. The area is inhabited by aboriginal communities that face a progressive deterioration of their cultural values and traditional customs. The beginning of the construction of Gasoducto Nor Andino triggered a strong reaction in the local communities and environmental organizations such as Greenpeace. Such reaction soon extended throughout the country, generating a strong debate as to the value of Economic & Technological Progress vs Environmental Conservation. All the problems were successfully solved by actions conducted in accordance with the Company’s ethical values. The different stakeholders involved were called together and agreements were implemented with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), such as Greenpeace, representatives of the aboriginal communities, local and environmental authorities (National Park Administration, Environmental Secretariat of Salta Province, etc.). This paper describes the non-traditional and innovative actions taken to solve the problems and the remarkable results achieved.