TRANSCONOR Project Summary Of Project Information (SPI)       Project Name    Argentina - Transportadora de Gas del Norte (Transconor)            Region    Latin America and Caribbean        Sector       Project No007024   Projected Board DateOctober 30, 1995   Company NameTransportadora de Gas del Norte S.A.   Technical Partner and/or Major Shareholders    	Nova Corporation (NOVA), which is also the technical partner         Techint S.A.C.I.   	Companía General de Combustibles (CGC)   	Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas)    Project Cost Including proposed IFC investment    	US$337 million    Location of project and Description of site    	Transconors gas pipeline is generally large-diameter buried steel pipe which transports gas for long distances and in large volumes at a pressure of 20 to 70 kilograms per square centimeter, or high pressure.  Transconor transports gas through two main gas pipelines, the Norte and Centro-Oeste, and several branches such as the Mendoza and Santa Fe lines.  The 2,796 km Norte line runs roughly north to south from Campo Durán, near the border beteen Argentina and Bolivia, to Buenos Aires, where it connects with Transcosurs high pressure transportation ring.  The 1,610 km Centro-Oeste line has two branches, one that runs from Neuquén in the center-west region of Argentina to the San Jerónimo junction in Santa Fe, where it joins with the Norte pipeline, and one that runs from San Luis Province to Mendoza Province.    Description of Company and Purpose of Project    	The Project represents the modernization and expansion of the Transconor gas transportation system, including the remaining three years (1995-1997) of the first five year plan of the Companys capital expenditure program.  The Project is expected to increase capacity of Transconors system by 7.9 million cubic meters per day and increase efficiency and reliability. Transconor, which began operations on December 28, 1992, has a 35-year license to operate a gas transportation system comprising approximately 4,406 kilometers of pipelines and 14 compressor stations in northern and central Argentina. Current capacity of the transportation system is approximately 29.5 million cubic meters per day.    Environmental Category and Issues    	This is an environmental review category B project; principal issues are air emissions, liquid effluents, disposal of waste residues, spill prevention, emergency response planning and employee exposure to hazardous substances.  The sponsor is making significant progress in implementing a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) based on the findings of an Environmental, Health and Safety audit which was conducted by an independent consultant.  The sponsor has completed the operational aspects of the CAP, including employee training, the recycling of waste oils, elimination of burn pits, and the establishment of spill prevention and emergency response plans.    The  is  October 23, 1995 from the Public Information Center.     Date SPI sent to PIC     October 6, 1995      For Additional Information contact:  Corporate Relations Unit -   telephone: (202) 473-7711   facsimile: (202) 676-0365  Environmental documents for this project are available at http://www.ifc.org and from the World Bank InfoShop (http://www.worldbank.org/html/pic/aboutinfo.html).