The agreement involves Continental’s acquisition of a 20% stake in PAE’s interests in the Coirón Amargo Sureste, Bandurria Centro and Aguada Cánepa areas, located in the province of Neuquén, and in Loma Guadalosa, in Río Negro province.
The key operator of Argentina’s main crude oil transport system has taken a strategic step to strengthen its financing amid high demand for evacuation capacity in Vaca Muerta.
The company had agreed to purchase 90% of the Los Toldos II Oeste block from Pluspetrol. The remaining 10% will remain under the control of Gas y Petróleo del Neuquén, the provincial company participating as a partner.
The Neuquén Basin now accounts for nearly 70% of the country’s oil and gas production, solidifying its role as Argentina’s main hydrocarbon engine for the next five years.
The Neuquén basin is on track to consolidate an unprecedented year-on-year growth trajectory in the region. La Amarga Chica (YPF) and Bajada del Palo Oeste (Vista) are now the assets with the most solid learning curves and the greatest resilience to drops in international prices.
In the first episode of a special Pampa Energía podcast series marking the company’s 20th anniversary, Marcelo Mindlin looks back on his personal story, the origins of the project and the decisions that shaped one of Argentina’s leading energy companies.
In his previous address, Milei emphasized economic freedom and tax reforms as tools to fight poverty, casting the state as a problematic actor. This time, the Argentine president will focus on deregulation of the energy sector and Argentina’s role as an LNG supplier from the Vaca Muerta shale.
SACDE has stepped up its search for specialized workers, particularly for complementary pipelines. The company is seeking pipefitters, drivers and heavy-equipment operators, including hydrocranes, motor graders, front loaders and backhoes, as well as welders.
The latest Energy Transition Outlook from Wood Mackenzie warns that the energy transition will be slower than expected. In that scenario, natural gas — and LNG in particular — is consolidating its role as a pillar of global energy security.
Saad Rahim, chief economist at Trafigura, one of the world’s leading commodity traders, is forecasting a 2026 marked by a crude oil oversupply, or “super glut,” which would have a direct impact on barrel prices. How local operators will adapt to this new global environment is one of the key questions heading into the year ahead.
Investments must be directed toward incremental oil or gas production and must meet a minimum investment threshold, maintaining the floor of $200 million that already applies to other projects under the RIGI, Argentina’s Large Investment Incentive Regime.
By Ariel Kogan, Oil and Gas Economics Analyst
The agreement aims to expand initiatives in key areas for the province: from road infrastructure and education to energy access. The company is participating with other operators in financing the paving of the Añelo bypass, a project designed to improve connectivity along key routes heavily used by the industry.
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.
