Argentina’s 51% state-owned oil and gas company YPF SA is aiming to sanction a large-scale LNG export project by mid-2025, with the first 1-2 million metric tons/year (mmty) of liquefaction capacity online by 2027, the firm’s new management said. 

“Our goal is to become a global LNG player through the massive monetization of our shale gas resources by deploying a large-scale LNG facility in Argentina,” said CEO Horacio Marin during a call to discuss fourth quarter 2023 earnings.

The call was Marin’s first since being appointed to the top job by Argentina’s firebrand libertarian president Javier Milei, who took office in December. 

The idea behind liquefied natural gas exports is to capture value from the Vaca Muerta Shale in Argentina’s Neuquén...