Río Negro energy projects advance for Vaca Muerta exports

Major energy infrastructure projects are advancing in Río Negro, Argentina, to facilitate the export of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Vaca Muerta formation.

Vaca Muerta Oil Sur (VMOS) has successfully moved two 272-ton monobuoys through the Strait of Hormuz. These structures are currently en route to Punta Colorada, where they are expected to arrive by late October. Once installed, they will form an offshore system allowing Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC) to load oil directly at sea, connecting the Vaca Muerta pipelines to the marine terminal.

Simultaneously, the Southern Energy (SESA) consortium—comprising Pan American Energy, YPF, Pampa Energía, Harbour Energy, and Golar LNG—is progressing with a plan to export up to 6 million tons of LNG annually. The project involves using floating production vessels near Fuerte Argentino. To support this, the San Matías Pipeline is under construction to transport gas from Vaca Muerta to the coast. The first shipment of 3,640 pipes from Welspun in India has already arrived at the port of San Antonio Este, marking the start of a massive delivery of 40,000 pipes required for the 472.5-kilometer pipeline.