With cumulative investment of approximately $1.6 billion, the South Korean company targets 50,000 tpa of combined lithium hydroxide and carbonate production from its Salar del Hombre Muerto operations
From floating LNG to crude export pipelines and NGL fractionation, a concurrent buildout across Vaca Muerta's full value chain represents the largest private investment cycle in Argentina's energy sector this century
The Latin American E&P company has launched a drilling campaign at its Loma Jarillosa Este block in Neuquén with $80–100 million budgeted for 2026, targeting a ramp from 1,500 bbl/d to 5,000–6,000 bbl/d by December — and 20,000 bbl/d by end-2028
It is the seventh lithium project to apply for inclusion in Argentina’s Large Investment Incentive Regime (RIGI), of which three have already been approved. The Chinese mining company has committed an investment of $3 billion to be deployed in three phases.
With Veladero and Diablillos, the sector now accounts for six of the 12 projects approved under the regime. The pending pipeline — led by Glencore with $13.5 billion in copper projects — suggests that share will grow even further.
The company is already executing the second phase of its drilling program, focusing on the western sector of the target, where even stronger chargeability anomalies have been detected than those previously drilled.
Argentina’s negotiable obligations market tops $20B in 2025, projects another solid year in 2026 as energy accounts for nearly half of corporate financing
The project combining Josemaría and Filo del Sol has defined its logistics route through Chilean ports and structured an international credit line for the initial phase. The plan includes three development stages, a 70-year lifespan, and an average annual copper production of 400,000 tons, generating fiscal and employment impacts for both Argentina and Chile.
The Punta Colorada Terminal, the endpoint of the Vaca Muerta Oil Sur (VMOS) pipeline, is advancing with roof assembly on two of the six planned storage tanks. With total storage capacity of 720,000 cubic meters and an investment exceeding $3 billion, the project is designed to transport up to 550,000 barrels per day and establish a new crude export route from Río Negro province on Argentina’s Atlantic coast.
The swap with Pluspetrol could act as a catalyst to unlock the project, where key players have already begun positioning themselves. By consolidating control over high-density gas areas, YPF is building the stable, large-scale supply base needed to make a megaproject like Argentina LNG financially viable.
The company expects to complete its Basin Water Balance report by the end of the first quarter, after which it plans to move forward with the pre-feasibility study, targeted for completion before year-end.
By the end of the first quarter, the company expects to have its Basin Water Balance report completed, after which it will move forward with the prefeasibility study, scheduled for completion before the end of the year.
In 2025, Argentina recorded the largest energy trade surplus in its history. In the coming years, that record could be surpassed as projects approved and under review through the Incentive Regime for Large Investments (RIGI) move forward. Some analysts forecast an energy trade balance generating a combined $48 billion by 2030 and $67 billion by 2035.
The company aims to achieve first production in the first half of 2026, positioning Galan as a low-cost, high-efficiency player in the heart of the Lithium Triangle.
The loading and export of crude from Neuquén Basin operators to the United States was carried out more efficiently and quickly thanks to newly inaugurated infrastructure built in partnership with Oldelval.
