Argentina: A successful partnership spanning 45 years

LONDON, UK, September 12, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- Wintershall Dea is attending the Argentina Oil & Gas Expo 2023, or AOG, which is being held on 11–14 September. The conference, now in its 16th year, is an important event in the country’s exploration and production sector. Wintershall’s presence marks 45 years of successful Argentinian operations, and underlines the company’s commitment to local energy, which it believes has a strong future as natural gas helps Argentina to decarbonize and achieve self-sufficiency in energy.

Manfred Böckmann, Managing Director of Wintershall Dea in Argentina: “Wintershall Dea has been a committed partner to Argentina for 45 years, and has built up its position over the years to become one of the country's leading natural gas producers. Currently, the progress of the Fénix gas project off the coast of Tierra del Fuego is particularly encouraging. Fénix is expected to contribute to Argentina’s long-term energy supply, and at the same time strengthen the country’s central position in our global portfolio.”

Security energy supplies in Argentina

Wintershall Dea is a leading natural gas producer in Argentina, with stakes in both onshore and offshore fields in Neuquén and Tierra del Fuego.

At the former, natural gas is produced from the Aguada Pichana Este and San Roque conventional and shale gas deposits as part of a consortium that includes TotalEnergies (operator), YPF and Pan American Energy (PAE). The partners hope to fully utilize available processing and transport capacities by pursuing a continuous drilling and completion programme.

To the country’s south, Wintershall, TotalEnergies and PAE are operating in Cuenca Marina Austral 1 (CMA- 1), a concession that accounts for some 15% of natural gas production within Argentina.

The CMA-1 cluster includes the Fénix project, one of the most significant energy projects in the country. Wintershall Dea is developing Fénix with progress underway as planned, having achieved an important milestone in July 2023 with the seabed installation of the first concrete blocks that will support the platform. Works to lay a pipeline that will connect Fénix to the existing Vega Pléyade are also currently in progress. It is expected that the Fénix platform will be able to produce as much as 10 million cubic metres of gas daily, significantly boosting Wintershall Dea’s contribution to Argentinian energy production as well as ramping up the company’s gas production figures globally.

The growing role of Argentina in energy exports
Wintershall is bringing together its national and international expertise to help Argentina become a significant South American energy exporter and, in the long term, a major exporter on the world stage.

Argentina’s Secretariat of Energy granted approval for Wintershall to export around 1.5 million cubic meters of gas per day to Chile at the end of August, 200,000 cubic metres of which will be delivered from Tierra del Fuego in H2 2023, via the NorAndino pipeline.

Manfred Böckmann: "We are actively working to exploit the opportunities available to export gas to the Chilean market. Wintershall Dea has exported gas to Chile for industrial and domestic consumption for many years and we are very pleased that we can now resume the supply of natural gas to the north of Chile. This is another important building block in our strategy in the country."

A viable energy transition partner

According to Wintershall Dea, hydrogen is more than viable as a core plank of Argentina’s energy transition strategy. The country has been part of the H2ar consortium since 2022, helping it to work with corporations in building a hydrogen-based economy. Ultimately, H2ar is seeking to decarbonize the country’s energy supply.

The Argentinian and German governments signed a memorandum of understanding in January 2023, providing for the strengthening of their strategic energy partnership while promoting the energy transition. Wintershall Dea is the largest German energy operator in the territory, and has stated its willingness to facilitate German–Argentinian energy dialogue at a new level, while incorporating best technological practices from around the world.

German group BASF owns 72.7% of Wintershall Dea with remainder is held by Russian investors Mikhail Fridman, Pyotr Aven and German Khan.

https://wintershalldea.com/en/newsroom/pi-23-33

Shamir Atif
DI PR
+44 20 7454 5111
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