United States - Shale24

The US shale industry experienced its first projected contraction since the boom

Drill, Baby, Drill

The White House Pushed the Majors to Drill. The Permian Did Not Move — U.S. Shale Has Stopped Responding to Price

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum convened a 45-minute call with the CEOs of ExxonMobil, Chevron, Occidental Petroleum and Continental Resources. The U.S. rig count has fallen to 543, the Permian is holding at 242, and independent producers plan flat 2026 capital expenditure. For Argentina, the read-through runs through capital: when price-drilling elasticity breaks in the dominant basin, rotation into Vaca Muerta stops being an optional bet.

Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, along with Secretary Marco Rubio

Project Vault + FORGE

AmCham and US Chamber to Sign Critical Minerals Accord in Buenos Aires, Targeting the Operational Gap in the Quirno-Rubio Framework

Neil Herrington and Alejandro Díaz will sign the first corporate-sector document designed to put February's intergovernmental pact into commercial motion on Thursday, April 30. Argentina's Coordinating Secretary for Energy and Mining, Daniel González, will deliver the opening remarks.

Ernesto Díaz, vice president for Latin America at Rystad Energy.

Tensions in the Middle East

Ernesto Díaz of Rystad: Iran’s impact on Vaca Muerta and inflationary pressure in Argentina

The analyst, Rystad Energy’s vice president for Latin America, discusses the oil and gas outlook shaking the Middle East and its repercussions for Argentina.

Kpler says high oil prices are Donald Trump’s “Achilles’ heel.”

Global tensions rise

Kpler: High oil price is Trump’s ‘Achilles’ heel’ and Iran strategy is banking on it

Analysts say Iran is using the threat to the Strait of Hormuz to pressure the United States, putting the promise of cheap energy at risk. The conflict is adding political strain just months ahead of the midterm elections.

Citrinowicz warns of the structural limitations of the current strategy and points to a key diagnostic error.

Middle East tensions rise

Danny Citrinowicz: Without regime change, Iran will not capitulate, and oil is already feeling the impact

Leading Middle East, national security and intelligence expert Danny Citrinowicz argues that the Trump administration faces a strategic dilemma: U.S. and Israeli military superiority does not guarantee a political victory against a regime that will not yield on its nuclear program.

Crude production by basin – monthly estimate and projection to 2027 (millions of barrels per day). The Permian Basin shows clear signs of decline star

New global context

Society of Petroleum Engineers predicts Permian Basin entering new shale phase

Although the basin remains highly productive, operators are placing less emphasis on drilling more wells and more on extracting value efficiently from existing developments. Technologies such as enhanced oil recovery (EOR), horseshoe wells, and artificial intelligence will be crucial to extending the life of this iconic U.S. shale basin.

According to the Trump administration, the tool is intended to protect Western producers from what it calls China’s “predatory pricing.”

Mining strategy

U.S. turns to price floors to intervene in critical minerals market

The strategy advanced by the Trump administration to intervene in critical minerals markets aims to curb Chinese dumping through price floors, secure strategic supply and strengthen production in the United States and allied countries.

Pablo Quirno held a private meeting Tuesday with companies and later with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.

The declaration will be signed today

What is Project Vault? U.S. critical minerals reserve echoes China’s model, draws in Argentina

The Trump administration is betting on a strategic reserve of critical minerals to counter China’s dominance, shield its supply chain and reshape the global balance of key resources for the energy transition and defense.

Merey 16 is classified as a heavy, sour crude, with properties that make it suitable for complex refineries.

U.S. intervention in Venezuela

Merey 16: Technical profile, history, market and challenges of Venezuela’s heavy crude

Merey 16 is Venezuela’s benchmark crude, a heavy and sour oil that accounts for most exports by state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA). Why it matters and what it changes for other benchmark crudes.

Trump ordered an attack on Venezuela, the country with the world’s largest proven oil reserves

OPEC+ meeting

U.S. attack on Venezuela: analysis by Rystad, Enverus and Wood Mackenzie on the impact on oil and gas

Analysts warn that a violent disruption could temporarily reduce supply, affecting heavy crude prices and benchmarks such as Dubai versus Brent, as the global market would rely more heavily on substitutes from Canada or the U.S. Gulf of Mexico

Donald Trump accelerates the race for fossil energy and critical minerals

The global geopolitical map is shifting

Unexpected shift: Donald Trump issues “energy dominance” document, and Vaca Muerta would become a “regional security asset”

The White House presented its new National Security Strategy, prioritizing access to fossil fuels. The consequences of this geopolitical shift could be felt in Vaca Muerta.

Argentine lithium: awaiting further investment.

INVESTMENTS

Critical minerals: Will Argentina be left out of EXIM Bank’s $100 billion package?

U.S. companies that receive loans or guarantees from EXIM are not allowed to use them for projects in Argentina, which the U.S. agency classifies as “high risk.”

New phase

Expectations of a U.S. government reopening push oil prices down

The political context in the United States has implications for oil price dynamics

#United States