The number of fracture stages carried out in April in Vaca Muerta decreased by barely 2.6%, but it was coming off a record so the numbers remain stable and as projected by the industry.
In any case, the expansion of transportation infrastructure and the prospect of being able to export more crude oil predicts a 2024 with more production.
Specifically, during April, 1,600 fracture stages were carried out with a shale target, that is, Vaca Muerta, according to the monthly report of the Energy Contacts Foundation carried out by Luciano Fucello, country manager of NCS Multistage. In March, 1,643 had been made.
According to the Mejor Energía portal, to date there are ten fracture sets available and the incorporation of new equipment is expected, something long awaited due to import complications and the dollar deficit that the country faces.
“There are already operators that also announced the arrival of drillers for their operations in the Neuquén shale,” said journalist David Mottura.
YPF was the company with the highest number of fractures with 814 focused on La Amarga Chica, Aguada del Chañar and Loma Campana, among other areas.
He used the Weatherford set for 208, the SLB set for 219, and then the Halliburton set for 387.
Shell carried out 225 fractures with a Halliburton set in Coirón Amargo Sur Oeste, followed by Vista with 213 completed by SLB in Bajada del Palo Oeste and in third place is Tecpetrol with 154 with the focus on the gas from Fortín de Piedra that it made with their Tenaris equipment (both companies belong to the Techint Group).
Pan American Energy targeted gas in April, with an eye on the colder months and seasonal demand for energy, with 120 stages between Coirón Amargo Sur Este and Aguada de Castro, with equipment supplied by Calfrac.
Further behind are ExxonMobil, which completed 40 stages in oil wells with a Halliburton team, and then TotalEnergies with 34 in gas wells with the Tenaris company set.
Shrinkage in Chubut
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{{msg}} {{msg}}It was also known that Chubut, which since last year lost leadership in national oil exports, in March managed to grow its crude oil shipments abroad by 37% year-on-year.
Throughout the first quarter of 2024, 232.5 million dollars were exported from the province, which was 31.6% higher than last year.
The Ministry of Energy revealed the levels of oil exported in the first quarter of the year and a rebound in Chubut exports was observed, but Vaca Muerta continues to lead very widely since 2023.
During March, Chubut exported oil for 84.3 million dollars, which was 37% higher than the 61.5 million in the same month of 2023.
While in the rest of the country, 188.9 million dollars were sold abroad, which decreased by 7.9% compared to the 205.2 million of last year.
Regarding the first quarter of the year, the accumulated exports amounted to 232.5 million dollars sold from Chubut, exceeding by 31.6% the 176.6 million of last year.
Vaca Muerta especially and the Austral Basin exported 551.3 million dollars in the first three months of the year, which was 1.2% lower than the 558.2 million in 2023.
As a consequence of Chubut’s growth, national crude oil exports rose 6.7% and reached 734.8 million at the start of the year.
Beyond the decline shown by the Neuquén Basin, Vaca Muerta continues to be the main exporter of national crude oil and maintains a strong supremacy over Chubut; which was consolidated from 2023.
