- State-owned corporations control the majority of pipeline companies south america, led by Transpetro’s roughly 8,500km Brazilian network
- Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale is driving over $30 billion in midstream pipeline investment through 2030
- YPF is leading the $2.5-3 billion Vaca Muerta Sur oil pipeline, due onstream in 2027 via the Punta Colorada export terminal
- Ecopetrol subsidiary Cenit controls roughly 82% of Colombia’s crude and refined-product pipeline capacity
- Bolivia’s YPFB Transporte is repositioning as a regional gas transit hub, moving Argentine volumes toward Brazil
Pipeline companies south america are undergoing their biggest capital cycle in a generation, with Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale formation and Brazil’s offshore pre-salt basins driving the bulk of new midstream capacity. State-owned operators still dominate the region’s network length and volume, but private consortiums are increasingly financing new export corridors.
This ranking of the top 10 pipeline companies south america is based on network length, transport capacity, and confirmed 2026 project activity, drawing on data from Rystad Energy and industry filings.
How we ranked the top 10 pipeline companies south america
Companies are ordered by total pipeline network length, share of national transport capacity, and the scale of active 2026 project development. State-backed transmission operators dominate the upper half of the list, reflecting the continent’s history of nationalised midstream infrastructure. Private and hybrid operators, including Techint’s Tenaris, are ranked on project involvement rather than owned network length. The results build on OGSN’s wider global pipeline companies ranking, filtered specifically for South American assets.
1. Transpetro: Brazil
Transpetro, the wholly owned midstream subsidiary of Petrobras, is the largest oil and gas logistics operator in South America. The company runs roughly 8,500km of pipelines alongside 48 marine and river terminals and a fleet of more than 30 vessels, figures confirmed in its own corporate materials. In January 2026, Petrobras and Transpetro signed $521 million in shipbuilding contracts for new gas carriers and barges, part of a broader fleet renewal tied to rising offshore gas volumes.
Its 2026 focus is upgrading offshore gathering networks and managing open-access regulatory integration as Brazil’s gas market rules shift toward third-party pipeline access. Transpetro’s network anchors Petrobras’ wider Brazilian terminal footprint, which spans 49 sites nationally.
2. Ecopetrol / Cenit: Colombia
Colombia’s state energy group operates its pipeline network through Cenit, a dedicated logistics subsidiary. Cenit controls roughly 9,000km of crude oil and refined multi-product pipelines, accounting for over 82% of Colombia’s total pipeline capacity. Its 2026 focus is securing supply against domestic shortfalls and linking new Caribbean offshore gas discoveries into the national grid, a diversification push similar to the route-diversification strategy playing out among Europe’s pipeline operators.
3. Transportadora de Gas del Sur (TGS): Argentina
TGS operates the largest natural gas pipeline system in Latin America, spanning more than 9,200km and connecting the Neuquén and southern basins to Buenos Aires and other major demand centres. In 2026, TGS is expanding its Perito Moreno pipeline from 21 to 35 MMcmd through three new compressor stations, a $560 million investment tied directly to rising Vaca Muerta gas volumes.
4. YPF: Argentina
YPF is both Argentina’s largest oil producer and a core midstream developer. The company holds a significant stake in the Vaca Muerta Sur (VMOS) oil pipeline, a roughly 700km, $2.5-3 billion project connecting Neuquén basin oilfields to a new export terminal at Punta Colorada on the Gulf of San MatÃas. VMOS is slated to begin operations in 2027 and is expected to carry up to 390,000 barrels per day at full capacity, alongside YPF’s existing stake in the Trans-Andean Pipeline (OTASA) into Chile.
5. Transportadora de Gas del Norte (TGN): Argentina
TGN is the primary gas transmission operator for northern and western Argentina, running a network of more than 6,800km of high-pressure pipelines. Its Northern Gas Pipeline reversal project has already lifted northbound capacity to 15 MMcmd across two commissioned phases, with a third phase targeting 19 MMcmd to further reduce dependence on Bolivian gas imports and unlock volumes tied to the Vaca Muerta infrastructure build-out.
6. Transportadora de Gas Internacional (TGI): Colombia
A subsidiary of Grupo EnergÃa Bogotá, TGI is Colombia’s leading gas transmission company, managing over 4,000km of pipeline serving the majority of the country’s population and industrial centres. Its 2026 focus is enhancing bidirectional flow capacity to offset declining onshore gas reserves, a structural challenge shared across several Colombian producers.
7. YPFB Transredes / YPFB Transporte: Bolivia
The midstream arm of state operator YPFB manages roughly 6,000km of domestic gas and liquid pipelines, including the export infrastructure linking Bolivia to Brazil and Argentina. As Bolivian production declines, YPFB Transporte is repositioning the country as a regional gas transit hub, collecting transport tariffs on Argentine Vaca Muerta gas destined for Brazil via the existing Gasbol pipeline.
8. Oleoducto de Crudos Pesados (OCP): Ecuador
OCP Ecuador operates a 503km high-capacity heavy crude pipeline running from the Amazon region across the Andes to the Pacific export terminal at Balao. Its 2026 focus is the transition of asset and operational control to Ecuadorian state company Petroecuador, a shift with direct implications for the pipeline’s long-term maintenance and investment profile, in contrast to the rapid capacity build-out underway among Asia’s pipeline companies.
9. Petroperú: Peru
Peru’s state energy company operates the North Peruvian Pipeline (Oleoducto Norperuano), a 1,106km line carrying crude from the Amazon basin to the Pacific coast. Its 2026 focus is modernising pipeline security and flow safety along a heavily forested northern route that has faced repeated spill incidents in past years, a safety profile that lags the stricter regulatory regimes governing North America’s pipeline companies.
10. Techint Group / Tenaris: Regional
Best known globally as a steel and pipe manufacturer through Tenaris, Techint Group is also a project equity stakeholder in South American midstream, including the Camisea gas projects in Peru. Its 2026 role centres on supplying specialised welded steel pipe for cross-border pipeline integration projects, including several of the Argentine lines feeding Vaca Muerta exports. Tenaris supplies similar large-diameter pipe to major projects run by Middle East pipeline companies.
The future of pipeline companies south america: what to watch in 2026
Argentina will remain the region’s midstream focal point through the rest of 2026, with Vaca Muerta Sur, the Presidente Néstor Kirchner gas pipeline, and the proposed San MatÃas line all competing for construction resources and capital. Brazil’s open-access reforms under its shifting gas laws could reshape Transpetro’s commercial position, while Bolivia’s transit ambitions depend on whether Argentine exporters commit volumes through Gasbol rather than new bilateral routes. Pipeline companies south america with exposure to Vaca Muerta evacuation capacity are best positioned for growth as Argentina pushes toward net energy exporter status.
Which pipeline company has the largest network in South America?
Transpetro, the Petrobras midstream subsidiary, operates the largest network at roughly 8,500km, spanning Brazilian oil, gas, and product pipelines.
What criteria determines the pipeline companies south america ranking?
Companies are ranked by total pipeline network length, share of national transport capacity, and the scale of confirmed 2026 project development.
Why is Argentina central to South American pipeline investment in 2026?
Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale formation is driving over $30 billion in midstream capital through 2030, including the Vaca Muerta Sur oil pipeline and Northern Gas Pipeline reversal.
What does Techint Group contribute to South American pipelines?
Techint, through its Tenaris subsidiary, supplies specialised welded steel pipe for cross-border pipeline projects rather than owning network length directly.
What could change South America’s pipeline company rankings in future?
Brazil’s open-access gas market reforms, the 2027 start-up of Vaca Muerta Sur, and Bolivia’s shift toward becoming a regional gas transit hub are the key variables to watch.