Vaca Muerta, Argentina's unconventional hydrocarbon formation, reached new record levels of activity in March, according to sources in the sector.
The number of fracking stages - a technical measure of activity in unconventional reservoirs - reached 1,643 in the third month of this year in Vaca Muerta, according to a report from the Energy Contacts Foundation.
These figures surpass the previous historical record, set in September 2023, with 1,398 fracking stages.
In March, the activity was once again led by YPF, Argentina's largest hydrocarbon producer. According to the report, YPF accounted for 40% of the activity in March, with a total of 662 frackings.
It was followed by the Argentine company Vista, with 323 frackings, and the Anglo-Dutch company Shell, with 153 frackings. Other companies registering fracking activity included Total, Tecpetrol, Pluspetrol, Pampa Energía, PAE, and Chevron.
Vaca Muerta, with its epicenter in the Argentine province of Neuquén (southwest), is the world's second-largest reserve of unconventional gas and the fourth-largest of this type of oil and is currently undergoing significant development.
