The campaign represents the latest phase in a technical sequence YPF has maintained in the Gulf of San Matías throughout 2026. In February, the company completed geotechnical studies of the marine subsoil to characterize foundation conditions for offshore installations. Those studies involved sampling and laboratory analysis to determine soil composition and load-bearing capacity. The current oceanographic measurements will complement the geotechnical data by providing environmental parameters necessary for final engineering design.
The Argentina GNL project contemplates initial capacity of up to 12 million tonnes annually of liquefied natural gas by 2030, with potential expansion to 18 million tonnes per year. The infrastructure design disclosed to date includes two floating liquefaction units positioned off the Río Negro coast with combined capacity of 12 million tonnes annually. These facilities will receive natural gas via pipeline, convert it to liquid form through cooling, and transfer it to LNG carriers for international markets.
YPF, Italy’s Eni, and XRG—the international gas investment arm of UAE-based ADNOC—applied in August to incorporate Argentina GNL into the Régimen de Incentivo para Grandes Inversiones (RIGI). The application estimates cumulative investment of US$51 billion for infrastructure covering transport, processing, and export of gas from Vaca Muerta. The project partners plan to formalize the final investment decision on November 26, with construction in Río Negro territory targeted to begin in February 2027.
The Gulf of San Matías occupies a central position in the export scheme as the designated location for liquefaction and loading operations. The technical campaigns under way are preparing the basis for infrastructure that will link Neuquén basin production with global LNG markets. Río Negro provincial authorities have emphasized the project’s role in establishing the province as a strategic platform for natural gas industrialization and export, with associated requirements for infrastructure, logistics services, and local supplier participation in Sierra Grande and San Antonio Oeste.
This article was curated and published as part of our South American energy market coverage.
