Argentina will receive oil investments worth US$ 90 billion in five years

Argentina could receive oil investments of US$ 90 billion in the next five years, according to projections from the main companies in the sector. The objective is to accelerate the development of Vaca Muerta, increase production and multiply energy exports over the next decade

.

Projections indicate that foreign energy sales could be around US$ 28 billion annually from 2030, and even climb to US$ 42 billion per year starting in 2035. In a more favorable international scenario for oil and gas prices, that number could be even higher: companies estimate that exports could reach US$ 36.500 million annually from 2030 and exceed US$ 53.5 billion from 2035

.

The work was prepared by consultants Nicolás Arceo and Patricia Charvay, from Economy & Energy, and is based on three possible scenarios for the development of the sector. The first, of a moderate nature, covers only projects already under way. The second, considered the most likely, includes projects announced but still without a final investment decision, such as the YPF liquefied natural gas project. The third, accelerated, means that by 2030 everything planned just for 2035 has already been completed

.

In the expansionary scenario, oil production would rise from an average of 810,000 barrels per day in 2025 to 1.14 million in 2030 and 1.69 million in 2035. At the same time, gas production would scale from 142 million cubic meters per day to 281 million in 2030 and 301 million in 2035. With that growth, the energy trade surplus would also jump sharply: from US$ 7.8 billion to US$ 24.6 billion in 2030 and US$ 37.7 billion in 2035

.

Behind these figures, there is a structural transformation. Investments in the sector could approach US$ 20 billion annually until 2030, and then be sustained above US$ 15 billion per year in the next phase. YPF went even further in a recent presentation, projecting accumulated US$ 130 billion

through 2031.

Oil companies warn that the development of the sector depends on three key factors: accessible financing, infrastructure and trained technical personnel. Without progress on those fronts, the plan would lose momentum. If those bottlenecks are resolved, Vaca Muerta could become one of the country's main sources of dollars in the next decade

.