Unconventional oil production rose 4.2% from July to 107,239 cubic meters per day, accounting for 91% of the basin’s total output. Conventional crude held steady at 10,903 cubic meters daily but remained on a long-term decline trajectory, down 13.8% year-on-year. A decade earlier, in August 2016, conventional fields contributed over 26,000 cubic meters per day while shale output barely exceeded 5,900 cubic meters.
On a year-over-year basis, total Neuquén Basin production climbed 22.1% and unconventional output advanced 27.5%. The basin’s cumulative production since January 2026 has risen 10.3%, with nearly half that gain concentrated in July and August. The basin now holds 65.5% of Argentina’s proven oil reserves and 80.6% of gas reserves, with crude reserves up 173% since 2007.
YPF leads unconventional production with 53,708 cubic meters daily, representing half of Argentina’s shale oil. Vista Energy follows with 12,961 cubic meters, then Pluspetrol with 7,436, Shell with 6,799, and Pan American Energy with 5,744 cubic meters per day.
Natural gas production in the basin fell 2.25% from July to 119.1 million cubic meters daily, a typical post-winter seasonal pattern, though volume remained 1.3% above August 2025. The June-August quarter averaged 121.2 million cubic meters daily, up 2.8% year-on-year.
Evacuation capacity remains the key constraint as production scales. The Vaca Muerta Oil Sur pipeline project is under construction with monobuoys now delivered to San Antonio Este port, aiming to unlock additional export flows as operators accelerate drilling activity.
This article was curated and published as part of our South American energy market coverage.
