YPF targets Vaca Muerta upsurge
In the wake of positive financials, the Argentinian operator is lifting capex spend and is bullish on barrels
Shale production from the Vaca Muerta basin is rapidly offsetting dwindling conventional output in Argentinian state oil company YPF’s portfolio and is primed for strong growth heading into 2022. The company achieved record shale output of 61,000bl/d in October, having increased supply by 38pc across Q3 compared with the previous quarter. “Shale production in Vaca Muerta is absolutely essential for YPF to offset the decline in conventional production, which is expected to run at a 10pc rate,” says Ezequiel Fernandez, equity and credit research director at Argentinian investment bank Balanz Capital. “We expect shale oil production next year to grow [by] 40pc, provided the pricing environment

Also in this section
22 April 2025
Saudi Arabia is growing as a geopolitical and diplomatic force amid an increasingly fractured world
22 April 2025
Modest downward revisions to 2025 supply belie the longer-term damage to E&P from a weaker oil market
16 April 2025
Israel continues to strike new oil and gas concession agreements and gas exports continue to rise, but an overreliance on Egypt remains the big concern
15 April 2025
Loss of US shipments of key petrochemical feedstock could see Beijing look to Tehran with tariffs set to upend global LPG flows