WASHINGTON, DC (By US Department of State, 23.Sep.2026, Words: 909) — On the margins of United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, the US and Argentina launched today the Andes-Atlantic Corridor, a joint initiative to strengthen and modernize the infrastructure connecting Argentina’s critical-mineral-rich northwest and Vaca Muerta energy basin to Atlantic ports and Western markets through modern rail, pipeline, port, power, and digital infrastructure.
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The Corridor will help unlock billions of dollars in investment, expand opportunities to U.S. companies, and strengthen supply chains for critical minerals and energy, including lithium, copper, oil, and gas. It is the first Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment Corridor in the Western Hemisphere, deepening US-Argentine economic integration and connecting investors to opportunities across Argentina’s energy, mining, infrastructure, and technology sectors.
The Corridor will connect Argentina’s resource-rich regions to inland ports on the Hidrovía Waterway and Atlantic ports, helping meet growing demand for Argentina’s energy and mining sectors while reducing transportation and energy bottlenecks.
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Argentina’s economic reforms bolster these opportunities: the Incentive Regime for Large Investments offers long-term tax, trade, and foreign-exchange benefits for large-scale investments in priority sectors.
U.S. government financing agencies, including the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), can play a role in financing for high-impact Corridor projects alongside the private sector. EXIM and Argentina signed the U.S.-Argentina Build the Future Framework, which will expand economic cooperation and provide financing of up to $7bn by 2027 for projects that advance infrastructure development and productive capacity, the very investments that will propel the Corridor forward.
The Corridor is already enabling opportunities across the transportation, energy, and digital infrastructure sectors:
Energy Infrastructure
New energy infrastructure will support Argentina’s energy and mining sectors, increase exports, and relieve power and supply bottlenecks.
- Argentina LNG: EXIM has issued a non-binding indicative term sheet up to $6bn for Argentina LNG, and a $51bn integrated liquefied natural gas project in Vaca Muerta led by YPF in partnership with Italian energy company ENI and Emirati energy company XRG. The proposed financing is intended to support the procurement of U.S. goods and services required for infrastructure development and production activities, including the contract awarded to McDermott for the engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning of a natural gas liquids fractionation and gas treatment facility. In addition, US firm Pumpco, a MasTec, Inc. subsidiary, in partnership with Bonatti and Contreras Hnos., has been awarded an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction contract worth more than $1bn, subject to final investment decision, for the project’s export pipeline system.
- National Transmission Infrastructure Area Metropolitana de Buenos Aires 1 (AMBA 1): In Aug. 2026, Argentina launched an estimated $800mn high-voltage transmission concession backed by an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan guarantee. The project will serve Buenos Aires, which accounts for nearly 60% of national power demand.
- Projects of Interest: Argentina seeks further investments in oil, gas, power, and critical minerals.
Transportation Infrastructure
Transportation projects will improve the movement of energy, minerals, and agricultural goods to market.
- Hidrovía Waterway: In Jun. 2026, Argentina awarded a 25-year concession to Belgian-Argentine consortium Vía Navegable Troncal S.A. to optimize the Hidrovía. The concession is estimated to bring $10bn in investment, reduce shipping costs, and increase trade flows.
- Freight Rail: In Aug. 2026, Argentina launched tenders for 50-year concessions to rehabilitate and expand the Belgrano, San Martin, and Urquiza freight rail lines, reducing transportation costs for lithium and copper projects and supporting agricultural and mining investment. The US and Argentina co-organized a roadshow for the concessions during Argentina Week in New York City in Mar. 2026.
- Projects of Interest: Argentina is preparing additional freight rail projects, including connections from Vaca Muerta to Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires metropolitan ports, and other strategic Hidrovía ports.
Digital Infrastructure
Digital infrastructure projects will expand connectivity and resilience across the Corridor.
- ARSAT Fiber-Optic Modernization: Argentina will soon launch a concession to expand and modernize ARSAT’s fiber-optic network. The IDB is providing a $49mn loan for phase one of the initiative.
- Telecom Expansion: US-owned Metrotel is acquiring 6 million telecommunications users in Argentina, ensuring trusted connectivity for companies and citizens.
- Projects of Interest: Argentina is preparing investments in submarine cables, fiber networks, fixed wireless and satellite connectivity, AI datacenters, early warning systems, and shared telecommunications infrastructure.
Future Opportunities and Next Steps
The United States intends to use U.S. financing and investment tools from DFC, EXIM, and the US Trade and Development Agency, together with commercial expertise from the Departments of Commerce, State, and Treasury, to prepare and advance infrastructure transactions to international standards, excluding non-market actors and incorporating trusted technology.
A U.S. delegation from State, DFC, and EXIM will travel to Buenos Aires, Jujuy, and Salta in Oct. 2026 to identify and advance transactions. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau will travel to Argentina later in October to discuss economic growth and investment with public and private sector partners and advocate for Corridor transactions.
The United States and Argentina will also coordinate roadshows connecting U.S. companies with investment opportunities and active concession tenders, including a proposed visit by the Head of the Agency for the Transformation of Public Enterprises to New York City and Washington, D.C., 9-10 Dec. 2026.
The Corridor joins the United States’ broader network of strategic economic corridors, including the Lobito Corridor, Luzon Economic Corridor, India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, and Trans-Caspian Trade Route.
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