Aguada Villanueva Norte covers 47.8 square kilometers with a USD 29.04 million investment over five years for two horizontal wells featuring 2,000-meter laterals and 33 fracture stages. Two existing horizontal wells in production from prior exploratory activity transfer to YPF under the concession. Corporate social responsibility spending reaches USD 1.75 million for this block.
Meseta Buena Esperanza I, spanning 205.95 square kilometers, carries the largest single-area commitment with 12 horizontal wells and USD 160.93 million in pilot investment. Meseta Buena Esperanza II adds 97.76 square kilometers with six wells and USD 87.60 million. Combined corporate social responsibility commitments for both areas total USD 7.63 million.
Las Tacanas I allocates 86 square kilometers for eight horizontal wells with USD 110.35 million investment, while Las Tacanas II covers 236 square kilometers with 10 wells and USD 137.47 million. The two blocks together designate USD 7.38 million for corporate social responsibility programs, maintaining the 2.5 percent standard applied across projects.
The agreement includes a USD 158.22 million infrastructure bonus directed to provincial works, with project scope, timelines, and oversight mechanisms established through separate protocols supervised by Neuquén’s Infrastructure Ministry. Governor Figueroa emphasized pricing competitiveness as essential for securing international LNG markets and investment flows, noting collaborative work with YPF on incentive regimes to enhance project economics. The concessions formalized following meetings between Figueroa and Marín advance Argentina’s positioning in global gas markets through Vaca Muerta development.
This article was curated and published as part of our South American energy market coverage.
