Drilling in the Vaca Muerta shale
Protests compound Argentina’s gas woes
Efforts to raise Vaca Muerta production face financial and strike action hurdles
Argentina’s gas producers were already struggling to meet targets pledged in the country’s new incentive scheme—dubbed Plan Gas.Ar—with capex scaled back and limited drilling activity last year. But protests in the Vaca Muerta shale basin by Argentina’s main oil and gas union are set to further slow production growth. Upstream workers are demanding better pay as a result of Argentina’s rampant inflation, while the government is struggling to meet its debts. The IMF loaned the country a record $57bn in 2018 to help balance the books, and President Alberto Fernandez has since been scrambling to renegotiate payments. And activity in the Vaca Muerta region has already been delayed, wi
Also in this section
19 March 2026
The regional crisis highlights the undervalued role of fixed pipelines in the age of tanker flexibility
18 March 2026
Rising LNG exports and AI-driven power demand have raised concerns that US gas prices could climb sharply, but analysts say abundant shale supply and continued productivity gains should keep Henry Hub within a range that preserves the competitiveness of US LNG
18 March 2026
Risks of shortages in oil products may cause world leaders to panic and make mistakes instead of letting the market do what it does best
17 March 2026
The crisis in the Middle East has put LNG’s ability to offer security and flexibility under uncomfortable scrutiny
