Neuquén launches Vaca Muerta licensing round and signs YPF GNL export pact

Neuquén Governor Rolando Figueroa announced the province’s first large‑scale licensing round for Vaca Muerta since 2017, dubbed round “1/2026”. The auction will open 15 exploration blocks across five geographic clusters, with bids due by 19 August 2026, and will operate under the new Regime of Incentives for Large Investments (RIGI). Rystad Energy supplied a detailed assessment of each area’s geological potential, operational risks and neighboring successful projects.

In parallel, the Neuquén government and state oil company YPF signed a strategic agreement aimed at making an Argentine liquefied natural gas (LNG) project competitive in global markets. The pact provides up to 30 years of fiscal stability, a $175 million infrastructure bonus and a special royalty framework that sets price floors and caps for methane extraction. It covers three key Vaca Muerta concessions – Meseta Buena Esperanza, Aguada Villanueva and Las Tacanas – and paves the way for five new non‑conventional hydrocarbon concessions. The agreement now awaits provincial legislative ratification.