President Javier Milei has fully engaged in the controversy, launching harsh public criticism against the businessman, whom he ironically dismissed as 'Don Chatarrín de los Tubitos CAROS'. Through a series of posts on the social network X, Milei forcefully questioned what he defined as a web of political, media, and business interests that, in his view, seek to stall economic opening and sustain historical privileges. 'More expensive pipes imply lower project profitability, less investment, less employment, and less exports,' stated the minister, warning that in a market with regulated prices like the gas market, these higher costs could have been passed on to higher tariffs for companies and consumers. The news is that @GrupoTechint, one of the world's most important pipe producers, was left out. After the defeat, the Techint group is considering filing a complaint for alleged dumping against the Indian firm, believing the offered prices may be below market values. 'Here we have carboncito defending Don Chatarrín de los Tubitos CAROS…,' wrote the President, reinforcing his narrative against sectors that, in his opinion, benefited for decades from state protectionism. In a previous post, Milei directly targeted those who criticize the liberalization of trade and external competition. 'If you see 'journalists,' 'economists,' and politicians talking to you about the steel industry and the prejudices that opening causes, you already know who is filling their envelope,' he launched in a message that sought to expose the interests behind the staunch defense of local production, even when it is more costly. The President thus broke official silence on the Techint case, after the Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation, Federico Sturzenegger, came out to publicly support the decision of the Southern Energy consortium to award the pipe supply to the Indian company Welspun, whose offer was substantially lower than that of Tenaris, the Techint-controlled firm specialized in steel pipes. Sturzenegger explained that the discussion should not focus solely on the 'buy national' criterion. Javier Milei maintains a wide lead over his immediate runner-up in all support indicators, which reinforces his margin of maneuver to advance an opening economic agenda and confront traditional business sectors without nuance. According to sources, the YPF representative attempted to enable instances for Techint to improve its offer, but even so, Welspun's offer, close to 200 million dollars, proved unbeatable against the Argentine company's, which was around 40% higher. 'It is the Argentine cost,' he summarized. The tender was organized by Southern Energy, a consortium made up of Pan American Energy, Pampa Energía, and YPF. In another post, Milei directly targeted those who criticize the liberalization of trade and external competition. 'If you see 'journalists,' 'economists,' and politicians talking to you about the steel industry and the prejudices that opening causes, you already know who is filling their envelope,' he launched in a message that sought to expose the interests behind the staunch defense of local production, even when it is more costly. The President thus broke official silence on the Techint case, after the Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation, Federico Sturzenegger, came out to publicly support the decision of the Southern Energy consortium to award the pipe supply to the Indian company Welspun, whose offer was substantially lower than that of Tenaris, the Techint-controlled firm specialized in steel pipes. Sturzenegger explained that the discussion should not focus solely on the 'buy national' criterion. Javier Milei maintains a wide lead over his immediate runner-up in all support indicators, which reinforces his margin of maneuver to advance an opening economic agenda and confront traditional business sectors without nuance. According to sources, the YPF representative attempted to enable instances for Techint to improve its offer, but even so, Welspun's offer, close to 200 million dollars, proved unbeatable against the Argentine company's, which was around 40% higher. 'It is the Argentine cost,' he summarized. The tender was organized by Southern Energy, a consortium made up of Pan American Energy, Pampa Energía, and YPF.
