The Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organization (OLACDE) and CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean – will hold the event “MERCOSUR + Chile Gas Integration: Alternative Pathways for Regional Gas Integration – Fertilizers” on September 1 at 2:30 p.m. (Uruguay time) at Casa de la Integración, ALADI headquarters, in Montevideo (Cebollatí 1461). The event is being held in collaboration with the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).
In this sixth phase of the MERCOSUR + Chile Regional Gas Integration Project, the analysis focuses on opportunities associated with developing a regional nitrogen fertilizer market and its potential to expand energy trade, mobilize investment in natural gas production, transportation infrastructure and fertilizer plants, reduce dependence on imports, and help boost agricultural productivity.
The study examines a particularly significant combination of factors for the Southern Cone. On the one hand, South America imports approximately 20 million tonnes of nitrogen fertilizers annually, worth more than USD 5 billion. These inputs are essential for some of the region’s major crops, including corn, wheat, sugarcane, coffee, cotton and oranges. On the other hand, the growing availability of natural gas, driven primarily by the development of Argentina’s Vaca Muerta formation and Brazil’s pre-salt fields, is opening up new opportunities to expand regional fertilizer production.
The opening session will feature Fernanda Cardona, Uruguay’s Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining; Sergio Abreu, Secretary-General of ALADI; Guido Maiulini, Head of Strategic Advisory at OLACDE; Mercedes Pedreira, Executive at CAF’s Directorate of Integration, Trade and Investment; and Edgar Chacon Rodriguez, IICA International Representative. The event will continue with a presentation of the study’s main findings, which will provide the basis for the discussions that follow.
Prospects for the development and expansion of fertilizer production in the region will be examined by representatives of energy and fertilizer companies from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay, taking into account natural gas availability, infrastructure, industrial capacity and investment opportunities. Agricultural sector experts will also discuss the outlook for agricultural growth across MERCOSUR, trends in fertilizer demand, and the role of these inputs in strengthening productivity, competitiveness and food security.
Date: September 1
Time: 2:30 p.m. (Uruguay time)
Venue: Casa de la Integración – ALADI Headquarters (Cebollatí 1461, Montevideo)
Registration for in-person participation: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfd1qISmmyt7lyoHAiQfXuB-3vvkIVoRB2ht0CHyJJ3h0tCgQ/viewform
Event agenda: https://www.olade.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Agenda_Gas_Integration_1-9_EN.pdf
Live broadcast on OLACDE’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/live/rG-XNzyRPus
