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Home / Sectors / Oil & Gas / 3

History of shale in Argentina

Vaca Muerta has been known since 1931 as the source rock of Neuquén oil. In fifteen years it went from an exploratory well to producing more than 70% of the country's oil and more than 60% of its gas. All the milestones, with Energy Secretariat data.

3.356Vaca Muerta wells hooked up to production (Jun-2026)
+106.000frac stages recorded in Vaca Muerta
2.4 timeswhat all conventional oil produces is produced by Vaca Muerta (Jun-2026)
Oil: Vaca Muerta vs. conventional (thousand barrels per day, monthly)
Vaca MuertaConvencionalProjection to Dec-2026

Source: Energy Secretariat (Vaca Muerta through August 2026; total and conventional through June). Conventional = total minus unconventional. Dotted line: projection using the trend of the last 12 months. The dots on the line are milestones: tap one to see the detail.

Timeline

Tap a milestone to see the detail.

DiscoveryProductionLaws and policiesCompaniesMarketTechnology
  1. Weaver names the formationGeologist Charles Weaver describes the Vaca Muerta formation.See more →
  2. The first wellYPF hooks up the first Vaca Muerta well, in Loma La Lata.See more →
  3. The EIA puts Argentina on the mapSecond in the world in shale gas resources (2013 estimate: 802 TCF).See more →
  4. The first 100 wellsVaca Muerta reaches 100 wells hooked up to production.See more →
  5. YPF-Chevron agreementLoma Campana: the first massive shale oil development outside North America.See more →
  6. The first 1,000 frac stagesOver 1,000 frac stages are recorded in Vaca Muerta.See more →
  7. Law 27,00735-year unconventional concessions.See more →
  8. The end of vertical wellsUntil mid-2016 vertical wells were drilled; since 2017, 99% have a horizontal leg.See more →
  9. Resolution 46 and Fortín de PiedraIncentive price for unconventional gas. Tecpetrol develops Fortín de Piedra in record time.See more →
  10. 10,000 stagesOver 10,000 frac stages are exceeded in Vaca Muerta.See more →
  11. 1,000 wellsVaca Muerta reaches 1,000 wells hooked up.See more →
  12. 25,000 stages and the return of activityAfter the pandemic, record stages per month.See more →
  13. Vaca Muerta gas surpasses conventionalFirst time shale gas produces more than all conventional gas.See more →
  14. 50,000 stagesOver 50,000 frac stages are exceeded.See more →
  15. Vaca Muerta matches conventional oilShale oil becomes more than half of the country's oil.See more →
  16. 75,000 stagesOver 75,000 frac stages are exceeded.See more →
  17. Vaca Muerta doubles conventional and a national recordShale produces twice as much as all conventional oil and the country surpasses the 1998 record.See more →
  18. 3,000 wellsVaca Muerta reaches 3,000 wells hooked up.See more →
  19. 100,000 stagesOver 100,000 frac stages are exceeded.See more →
  20. More than 70% of oil; triple, closeVaca Muerta produces 2.4 times what all conventional does. At the pace of the last year, it would triple it around February 2027.See more →
  21. 670,000 barrels per dayVaca Muerta keeps setting record after record. Projection: about 712,000 barrels per day in December.See more →

What it means for a supplier

  • Each well mobilizes dozens of categories: drilling, cementing, fracturing, sand, water, coiled tubing, wireline, flowback, logistics, lodging, surface facilities and hook-up work.
  • Activity is measured in active drilling rigs, frac sets and stages per month: they are the best demand indicators for a supplier.
  • Neuquén's local content law (Law 3338) and supplier development programs give priority to companies based in the province.

Fuentes

Updated as of October 9, 2026. Anything to correct or add? Write to us.