YPF Suspending Noncritical Activities

(Reuters, 20.Mar.2020) — Argentine state-run energy firm YPF said on Thursday it will gradually suspend activities not critical to its business, and will scale down staff to a minimum at essential operations to ensure energy supply amid the coronavirus outbreak. The company, which leads production activities in the Vaca Muerta […]

YPF Reports Record One Day Fractures

(Energy Analytics Institute, Aaron Simonsky, 18.Mar.2020) — Argentina’s state oil company YPF announced positive results in regards its development of the country’s Vaca Muerta unconventional resources located in the Neuquén Basin. YPF carried out 12 fracture stages in one day, which constitutes a new milestone for the company’s unconventional operations […]

Neuquén Provincial Govt Seeks Minimum $50/bbl Price

(Energy Analytics Institute, Aaron Simonsky, 10.Mar.2020) — Officials from Argentina’s Neuquén Province has requested formal meetings be held with the Energy Secretariat of Argentina’s government and authorities of hydrocarbon-producing provinces of the South American country to discuss a possible floor oil price that would support hydrocarbon activities. “The price we […]

Equinor Strengthens Presence In Vaca Muerta

(Equinor, 31.Jan.2020) — Equinor and its partner Shell have completed a joint acquisition of the 49% interest held by Schlumberger in the Bandurria Sur onshore block in Argentina’s Neuquén province. The consideration for each partner for their 24.5% interest is $177.5mn. The block covers around 56,000 gross acres in the […]

YPF Deepens Partnership With Equinor And Shell

(Energy Analytics Institute, Aaron Simonsky, 31.Jan.2020) — The presidents of YPF, and European companies Equinor and Shell meet to discuss the scope of signed agreements and plans for the development of the Bandurria Sur Block. Executives participating the discussions included: YPF President Guillermo Nielsen, Equinor President Nidia Álvarez Crogh, Shell […]

Argentina’s Shale Boom Hits New Milestone

(Oilprice.com, Irina Slav, 10.Dec.2019) — YPF, the Argentine state energy company, has drilled the longest horizontal oil well lateral, at 3,890 meters, or more than 12,700 feet, in the Vaca Muerta shale play, S&P Global Platts reports, citing a source close to the company. The record-breaking lateral—the horizontal part of […]

Vista, YPF Win Vaca Muerta Licenses

(S&P Global Platts, 3.Dec.2019) — Argentina’s Neuquen province awarded development licenses to Vista Oil & Gas and YPF in Vaca Muerta, a giant shale play that has seen investment and production growth slow this year on economic and political uncertainty. Mexico City-based Vista won a license to develop Aguila Mora […]

YPF Loads 1st Commercial LNG Cargo

(Reuters, Jessica Jaganathan and Ekaterina Kravtsova, 8.Nov.2019) — Argentine oil company YPF SA has loaded its first commercial liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo for export from a new floating facility, trade sources said on Friday. Argentina’s export joins a wave of new supply flooding the spot market which has depressed […]

Equinor Signs Deal With YPF

(Zacks Equity Research, 22.Aug.2019) — Equinor ASA recently announced the signing of a deal with the Argentine energy company, YPF Sociedad Anónima YPF, to jointly conduct exploration activities in the CAN 100 Block. The offshore prospect — acquired by YPF Sociedad in May — is located in the North Argentinian […]

Argentina Enforces Fuel Price Caps

(Argus, 16.Aug.2019) — The price cap takes effect immediately, according to a decree published in the Official Bulletin, the newspaper of record. The downstream sector must keep oil product prices at the same levels as August 9 in all outlets, including retail and wholesale, through November 15, the decree states. […]

Argentina Caps Oil Prices By Decree

(Argus, 16.Aug.2019) — Argentina implemented a three-month freeze on fuel and crude prices through an emergency decree, eschewing an earlier plan to apply a decades-old law that was designed to avoid shortages. The decree specifies that refiners and hydrocarbon producers must fulfill all existing domestic demand during the period when […]

Vaca Muerta Output Growth Leads To LNG Exports

(EIA, 12.Jul.2019) — Argentina’s domestic natural gas production has been rising steadily in the past three years, largely because of increasing production from the Neuquén Basin’s Vaca Muerta shale and tight gas play. Production from Vaca Muerta surpassed 1.0 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in December 2018. As production […]

Techint To Build Headquarters In Neuquén

(Energy Analytics Institute, Aaron Simonsky, 27.Jun.2019) — Techint Group’s Argentine affiliate Tecpetrol plans to inaugurate a new office in Neuquén by April 2020. “We hope to inaugurate the building next year, and probably sometime during the first four months of the year,” reported online media Río Negro, citing Tecpetrol CEO […]

LatAmNRG Heard On The Street: Gas Markets, Argentina Tender

(Energy Analytics Institute, Aaron Simonsky and Ian Silverman, 25.Jun.2019) — Heard on the street related to the Latin America and Caribbean upstream, midstream, downstream and renewable energies sectors. ARGENTINA — During the first half of July a tender will be launched in Argentina for the construction of a new natural […]

Argentina Eyes Exporting Oil In 2020, Lopetegui Says

(Energy Analytics Institute, Aaron Simonsky, 14.Jun.2019) — Argentina’s Energy Secretariat Gustavo Lopetegui highlighted investments announced by Exxon Mobil destined for the massive development the Bajo del Choique – La Invernada block during the 6th Vaca Muerta Executive Board meeting that took place 14 June in Neuquén. “There are already four […]

Sixth Vaca Muerta Executive Board Meeting In Neuquén

(Energy Analytics Institute, Aaron Simonsky, 14.Jun.2019) — The 6th Vaca Muerta Executive Board meeting took place 14 June in Neuquén in the presence of the Neuquén Governor Omar Gutiérrez and Argentina’s Energy Secretariat Gustavo Lopetegui. During the meetings, several sub-working table groups comprised of representatives of the national and provincial […]

ExxonMobil Proceeds With Vaca Muerta Project

(ExxonMobil, 11.Jun.2019) — ExxonMobil said it is proceeding with a long-term oil development in Argentina’s Bajo del Choique-La Invernada block. The project is expected to produce up to 55,000 oil-equivalent barrels per day within five years and will include 90 wells, a central production facility and export infrastructure connected to […]

Argentine Shale Spurs Search For Oil, Gas Giant

(Platts, 11.Jun.2019) — On the vast, desolate plains of southern Patagonia, Compañía General de Negocios is stepping up drilling and exploration where few companies operate, an emerging trend of widening the search for oil and natural gas in Argentina. “The resource is very large,” Hugo Eurnekian, president of the Argentinian […]

LatAmNRG Q&A Series With Barry Blacklock About Water Management In Fracking

(Energy Analytics Institute, Ian Silverman, 8.Jun.2019) — As part of Energy Analytics Institute’s ongoing coverage of the Latin America and Caribbean energy sectors from conventionals, unconventionals to renewables, Calgary-based Consultant Barry Blacklock weighs in on the fracking debate in Colombia and one of many headwinds to face the Andean country: […]

UOCRA Union Leader Arrested In Argentina

(Energy Analytics Institute, Aaron Simonsky, 7.Jun.2019) — UOCRA union leader Juan Carlos Levi was reportedly arrested in Argentina after a search of his home, online media Diariamente Neuquen reported. Levi is is being investigated for his involvement in a shootout recently at the Sierras Blancas Field operated by Shell Argentina, […]