Argentina Doubles Vaca Muerta Oil Estimate to 30 Billion Barrels as $13.5 Billion Surplus Looms
Updated
Updated · Buenos Aires Times · Aug 20
Argentina Doubles Vaca Muerta Oil Estimate to 30 Billion Barrels as $13.5 Billion Surplus Looms
1 articles · Updated · Buenos Aires Times · Aug 20
Summary
30 billion barrels of recoverable oil is Argentina’s new estimate for Vaca Muerta, nearly double the 16.2 billion barrels the U.S. EIA put forward about 15 years ago.
Daniel González said the larger resource base shows the shale formation is still in its infancy, reinforcing expectations that energy exports will add $13.5 billion to Argentina’s trade surplus this year.
2031 is now seen as the bigger payoff point, with oil production and exports expected to at least double and LNG projects projected to be fully operational by then.
RIGI, President Javier Milei’s flagship investment regime, has drawn 43 large project submissions worth almost $200 billion, though much of that capital depends on political continuity after the 2027 and likely 2031 elections.
Neuquén, which sits atop most of Vaca Muerta, says it captures only 13% of each barrel’s value while funding roads and infrastructure, highlighting tensions over how the boom’s gains are shared.
With 30 billion barrels discovered, will Argentina's massive shale boom rescue its struggling economy or trigger a bitter war over provincial wealth?
As foreign billions flood Argentina's Vaca Muerta, why are local provinces threatening to disrupt the very infrastructure driving this historic economic miracle?