The energy company nears contracts for up to 1.5 million tonnes per year as financing advances.
On 14 September 2026, YPF Chairman and CEO Horacio Marín announced at the Gastech conference in Bangkok that the company is close to signing two or three LNG sales contracts. Each deal covers between 0.5 and 1.5 million tonnes per year for the Argentina LNG project, while sources confirmed to Infobae that more than one agreement has already been finalized.
The project is carried out alongside Italy's Eni and UAE-based XRG, which each hold roughly a 32% equity stake and will also act as direct offtakers. YPF controls 36% of the upstream operation in Vaca Muerta through UPCO ARLNG I S.A.U. The overall plan requires an investment of $51,000 million across upstream, midstream, and downstream assets, funded 70% with international debt and 30% through direct partner equity. The final investment decision is slated for November.
The infrastructure includes a 527-kilometer gas pipeline from Neuquén, an associated liquids pipeline, and two floating liquefaction vessels off the San Matías Gulf in Río Negro. The facility will have an initial capacity of 12 million tonnes per year, expandable to 18 million. YPF also launched a tender of about $2,000 million for two 48-inch gas lines and a 24-inch polyduct, scheduled for award between November and early December.
Argentina LNG applied in mid-August for Argentina's RIGI incentive framework, which remains pending official approval. For the first phase valued at $15,500 million, 47 banks participated and offered 2.4 times the required financing in rounds led by JP Morgan and Santander. YPF projects the initiative will generate $10,000 million in annual exports starting in 2031, out of the $30,000 million in total company exports forecast for that year.
Newsletter
Markets in your inbox, weekly
LATAM-focused analysis, investing ideas, and the week in finance.
Keep reading
