YPF secures license to drill 12 wells in Vaca Muerta for Argentina LNG export

Argentina’s state‑owned oil company YPF submitted an environmental licence application to the Neuquén provincial authorities for a pilot program that will drill twelve horizontal wells in the Meseta Buena Esperanza I block of the Vaca Muerta shale basin. The plan, part of the Argentina LNG project, includes three production locations, five internal pipelines and two fluid‑treatment facilities, with each well featuring a 2 km lateral section and 33 hydraulic‑fracturing stages targeting the Cocina and Orgánico Inferior formations.

The project, valued at roughly US$161 million for the pilot phase, is being developed by a consortium where YPF holds 36 % and the remaining shares are split between Italy’s ENI and Abu Dhabi‑based XRG, each with 32 %. The consortium is seeking international financing to fund the broader LNG export chain that will ship liquefied natural gas from Río Negro’s coast to global markets.