Drilling in the Vaca Muerta shale
Protests compound Argentina’s gas woes
Efforts to raise Vaca Muerta production face financial and strike action hurdles
Argentina’s gas producers were already struggling to meet targets pledged in the country’s new incentive scheme—dubbed Plan Gas.Ar—with capex scaled back and limited drilling activity last year. But protests in the Vaca Muerta shale basin by Argentina’s main oil and gas union are set to further slow production growth. Upstream workers are demanding better pay as a result of Argentina’s rampant inflation, while the government is struggling to meet its debts. The IMF loaned the country a record $57bn in 2018 to help balance the books, and President Alberto Fernandez has since been scrambling to renegotiate payments. And activity in the Vaca Muerta region has already been delayed, wi
Also in this section
21 April 2026
After overcoming a COVID-induced demand collapse with several years of successful market management, geopolitical events have conspired to provide the pact’s biggest test to date
21 April 2026
The regime’s policy of using nuclear ambiguity as a deterrent may have failed but it has realised it has other cards to play, while its neighbours are reappraising their approach to security
21 April 2026
As the global energy system undergoes a fundamental realignment, Algihaz Holdings has established itself as a critical player bridging conventional energy markets and the next generation of renewable infrastructure.
21 April 2026
The 25th WPC Energy Congress is taking place from 11-15 October 2026 at the Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Center.
