The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, arrived Thursday evening in Argentina to meet with President Mauricio Macri on Friday to discuss oil investments in Vaca Muerta and other bilateral issues.
Argentina plans to launch a delayed offshore licensing round in October as it seeks to explore a large frontier region in the South Atlantic for potential oil and natural gas production growth in the future. This was announced to oil executives in Houston by Argentina's energy secretary Javier Iguacel.
Argentina's biggest natural gas transporter, Transportadora de Gas del Sur, and Texas-based Excelerate Energy, signed on Monday a memorandum of understanding to evaluate building the country's first liquefaction plant, as rising natural gas production fuels export prospects.
Argentina re-launched a one-year-old agreement between the government, companies and workers to drive competition and spur development in the Vaca Muerta shale play, the government said in a statement.
Argentina will begin exporting natural gas to Chile from October, the Argentine Energy Ministry said on Friday, following a meeting between the governments of both countries.
Argentina’s economy will return to growth in 2019, President Mauricio Macri said on Wednesday, following a year marked by higher-than-expected inflation and a run on the Peso currency that many economists anticipate will lead to a recession.
Oil firms, including Norway’s Statoil, U.S.’ Anadarko Petroleum Corp, China’s CNOOC and Malaysia’s Petronas, have shown interest in Argentina’s auction this year of offshore blocks for exploration and production, the country’s energy minister said.
Argentina’s state-owned oil company YPF SA expects shale oil and gas production to grow 35% in 2018, as costs in the Vaca Muerta shale play continue to fall, Chief Financial Officer Daniel Gonzalez said. Still, declining production in mature fields means overall hydrocarbon output will fall 2 to 3% in 2018 after a 5.3% reduction in 2017, Chairman Miguel Gutierrez said.
Argentina has left behind its populist experiment, and there is no other country with greater potential, Argentine president Mauricio Macri told the World Economic Forum in Davos during a speech to the forum of world political and business leaders.
Argentina plans to auction offshore oil and gas exploration rights next year, in the hope of developing fields off its Atlantic coast like those in neighboring Brazil, the energy minister said on Thursday.