Exploration & Production | Top Story | Government Bids
Argentina Opens New Round of Bids for Vaca Muerta

According to a report from Reuters, Argentina's Neuquen Province is expecting bids in a May Auction of its 11 oil blocks.
These oil blocks are in the Neuquen basin's Vaca Muerta shale formation, one of the largest shale deposits in the world.
The Neuquen Energy Minister Guillermo Coco said that he expects the unconventional resource to be competed for by major international companies such as Chevron, Exxon, and Shell.
Participation in the blocks requires forming a JV with the Neuquen state oil company, on a 50 to 90 percent basis contingent on the resource size.
Chevron has been the most active company in the Vaca Muerta to date, partnering with YPF.
The Neuquen basin's crude output in 2013 was 224,000 bpd, and gas was 2.2 Bcfpd. The crude produced from the fields will be required to be…
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