Analysis: Vaca Muerta and a 2025 Review
By Ariel Kogan, Oil and Gas Economics Analyst
Vaca Muerta
Exclusive interview for Shale24
YPF speeds up in Vaca Muerta: Horacio Marín outlines plan to add 50% more company-owned rigs in 2026, reach 250,000 barrels per day and cut costs
The CEO and President of YPF set out three ambitious goals for 2026 while highlighting the progress achieved so far, with energy focused on boosting operational efficiency and reducing costs.
Cutting-edge technology
Nabors Industries Sends Its F-15 Rig to Vaca Muerta: A New Boost for Argentina’s Oil Boom
Its arrival underscores operators’ push for cutting-edge technology in Latin America’s leading shale formation.
Analysis
Vaca Muerta’s comeback: The advantage Argentina keeps over Eagle Ford and the Permian
While U.S. shale basins face the maturity of oil fields that once seemed endless, the opposite is unfolding in Argentina’s Patagonia: Vaca Muerta is just getting started, and its momentum is already making allies and rivals take notice.
Vaca Muerta has become the standout driver of Argentina’s energy production
Argentina breaks its all-time oil production record: 10 key factors behind the fast-growing boom
Vaca Muerta is now the world’s second-most productive shale formation, trailing only the Permian Basin in the United States. Here are the numbers, drivers and projections behind a level of growth Argentina has never seen before.
Key project
Argentine Gas Companies Interested in Pipeline Linking Vaca Muerta to Golfo San Matías
The project involves a 480-kilometer pipeline that will supply Southern Energy’s Argentina LNG project. This key infrastructure for energy exports is set to finalize its development plan in December. Both TGN and TGS have expressed interest in participating in the project.
Shale24 Academy
A major productivity jump in Vaca Muerta: What is MPD and why it matters?
A critical piece of equipment has lowered costs, sped up operations and reduced risks in Vaca Muerta, one of the most challenging geological formations in the world.
Milestone in Vaca Muerta
YPF reaches a record 200,000 barrels per day of its own shale oil production
The oil company set a record in its shale oil production and has logged more than 80% growth in two years
Exclusive insights from one of Vaca Muerta’s key players
Miguel Galuccio to Shale24: “We are 100 percent Vaca Muerta and Argentina’s largest independent exporter.”
During Vista Energy’s recent Investor Day, where Miguel Galuccio, the company’s chief executive, laid out a strategic plan that includes a US$4.5 billion investment in Vaca Muerta through 2028, Shale24 secured an exclusive interview to capture his outlook.
A quarter with many highlights
Pampa Energía achieves very positive results and has a robust financial profile
The energy company is one of the jewels of the local market, and its returns are very good. The market sees it as a good bet
Expanding production capacity over the next five years
Vista Energy plans $4.5B spending on Argentina's Vaca Muerta, growth strategy focuses
Vista outlined its five-year growth strategy at the event, targeting output of over 200,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2030
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
It will have a capacity of 360,000 barrels per day
Key hearing advances pipeline expansion to boost Vaca Muerta output
It will consist of a 207-kilometer (128-mile) parallel pipeline and will increase transport capacity by an additional 220,000 barrels per day.
Bajo del Choique and La Calera
Pluspetrol marks new milestone in ramping up production at Vaca Muerta
Pluspetrol moves forward with its expansion roadmap, targeting production of about 100,000 barrels per day by 2027. The company aims to accelerate output.
The energy sector is among Argentina’s top performers
Mergers and acquisitions are expected to grow 7% in 2025, with Vaca Muerta playing a key role in that growth
The energy sector is among the standouts in Argentina’s mergers and acquisitions activity, driven by Vaca Muerta