Piura, a region on Peru's northern coast, has the conditions needed to become the country's second major natural gas hub after Camisea, according to José Carlos Guzmán Zegarra, legal manager of the gas producer Olympic Perú. He made the case during the 15th Peru Natural Gas Conference 2026.
He said Piura is already part of Peru's energy security solution and has the potential to become the country's second major gas hub.
Piura already has a production base to build on. Olympic Perú reports 145 billion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves in the region, a measure used to express large volumes of the resource. The company raised its output from 25 million cubic feet a day in 2024 to 40 million in 2025, and it expects to reach 50 million cubic feet a day this year.
Olympic Perú says it supplies around 60% of the natural gas consumed in Piura, reaches more than 90,000 families with locally produced gas, and operates over 100 kilometres of its own pipelines. The company also has 50 megawatts of installed electricity generation capacity.
Piura Has Gas to Grow, But Needs More Infrastructure
Piura's potential is not limited to household use. A larger gas supply could also serve industry, transport and power generation, sectors that need a continuous and competitive supply.
Guzmán Zegarra warned that this growth already faces limits from existing infrastructure. He pointed to constraints in electricity transmission capacity, which he said can make it harder to meet rising demand.
He said natural gas could become an alternative to support the growth of the regional economy, but that this depends on production and infrastructure advancing at the same pace. He added that it is not only a matter of extracting more gas, but of having the pipelines, connections and projects needed to deliver it where it is required.
He said that for end users to access costs similar to those in Lima, joint work between the state and the private sector is essential.
Olympic Perú believes that greater use of gas produced within the region would also help close the energy access gap between Lima and other parts of the country. As new consumers and projects take up the resource, the company argues, Piura's reserves could translate into an energy supply with a bigger impact on the local economy.
New Gas Investment Needs Predictable Rules
The other challenge is attracting new investment. Hydrocarbon exploration requires capital and long timeframes, so Olympic Perú considers three conditions essential: predictability, a suitable time horizon and incentives.
Guzmán Zegarra explained that rules need to be clear, that contracts need a time horizon consistent with what an exploration investment requires, and that there need to be incentives tied to new investment commitments.
He also called for greater accountability from regulators. He said it is important for regulatory bodies to clearly explain the regulatory policy they are pursuing and how their decisions contribute to energy security and the country's development.
Olympic Perú says that if new investment and infrastructure keep pace with rising production, Piura could expand its contribution to gas supply in northern Peru and establish itself as a strategic hub in the country's natural gas sector.
