Thirteen operators will finance works on routes 7, 8, and 51 through a royalty advance scheme
The interventions will particularly aim to improve connections with Añelo, Rincón de los Sauces, Cutral Co, and Plaza Huincul, in addition to decongesting the corridors used by trucks, workers, and equipment linked to the oil industry.
The expansion of the road network has become one of the main challenges arising from the growth of Vaca Muerta. The sustained increase in production and private investments has significantly raised the movement of heavy vehicles, leading to the acceleration of infrastructure projects to support the expansion of activity.
Figueroa assured that Neuquén is currently allocating more than USD 1 billion annually to infrastructure and that the provincial goal is to intervene in around 1,000 kilometers of roads over the next two years.
The new program will have as a precedent the Añelo bypass, a project of more than 70 kilometers on provincial routes 8 and 17 and the so-called Tortuga Road, financed and executed by ten oil operators.
This project aims to remove heavy traffic from the urban area of Añelo and is scheduled for completion by October 2027. Unlike that scheme, the new agreement will be coordinated directly by the provincial government and financed through advances on royalties from the companies.
The Government of Neuquén reached an agreement with 13 oil companies to finance road infrastructure works for USD 154 million in strategic corridors linked to Vaca Muerta, amid the strong growth of oil and gas production from the unconventional formation.
The program includes paving and repaving works over 166 kilometers of provincial routes 7, 8, and 51, which are intensively used by hydrocarbon activities. The goal will be to improve connectivity for the main towns in the basin and adapt the infrastructure to the increase in traffic associated with new investments.
The companies participating in the scheme are YPF, Chevron, Pampa Energía, Pan American Energy, Phoenix Global Resources, Pluspetrol, Shell, Total Austral, Vista Energy, GeoPark, Tecpetrol, Harbour Energy, and Continental.
Financing will be carried out through advances on oil royalties, which will be provided by the operators and allocated to a trust fund. According to the Chamber of Hydrocarbon Exploration and Production (CEPH), each company's contribution will be calculated based on its participation in the unconventional production of the Neuquén basin and its corresponding tax obligations.
The governor Rolando Figueroa explained that, although the works will be the responsibility of the province, the scheme will allow financing their execution through advance contributions from the companies and the use of tolls.
