Latin American Congress on Produced Water Reuse in Vaca Muerta
Neuquén will host the first Latin American congress of the Produced Water Society (PWS), an international organization specializing in the management of produced water from the oil and gas industry. The meeting will take place on October 15 and 16 at the Hilton Hotel in the provincial capital, and will bring together operators, service companies, government agencies, unions, and specialists from productive basins such as the Permian, in the United States.
The agenda will focus on technological alternatives for treating and reusing water associated with production in Vaca Muerta, the country's most developed unconventional formation. According to information available for the event, approximately 30% of the water used in each hydraulic fracturing stage can return to the surface as flowback, a fluid that is currently destined, for the most part, to disposal wells in accordance with current regulations.
The water challenge in Vaca Muerta: from injection to reuse
Produced water from extraction operations comprises both the resource that naturally accompanies hydrocarbons and the flowback generated after hydraulic fracturing. Disposal in injection wells, while regulated, represents a significant economic and environmental opportunity that has not yet been fully exploited in the Neuquén basin.
The congress's central objective will be to evaluate systems that allow recovery of that water volume for new fracturing operations and to analyze additional productive applications. In more advanced regions, such as the U.S. Permian basin, more than 60% of the water used in fracturing operations is reused, while parallel experiences are being developed in agriculture and data center cooling.
The Produced Water Society: trajectory and global reach
The PWS emerged in the Permian basin during the 1990s in response to the need to optimize water management in unconventional operations. Today it brings together more than 30,000 specialists involved in treatment, reuse, and regulation of produced water. Its expansion into Latin America reflects the growing interest of Vaca Muerta operators in adopting proven international practices.
Event structure and topics
The congress will feature seven panels and technical presentations that will be reviewed by a specialized committee. Topics to be covered include an assessment of the current situation in Vaca Muerta, applicable regulatory framework, available infrastructure, and transfer of experiences from U.S. basins.
A strategic component of the meeting will be the development of a roadmap for water management in Vaca Muerta with a 2031 horizon, which will prioritize technological aspects, development of local suppliers, and adaptation of regulatory conditions. This roadmap could influence investment decisions by operators and provincial public policies.
Economic and regulatory opportunities
The reuse of produced water not only reduces operational costs for oil and gas companies, but also decreases pressure on surface and groundwater resources in a semi-arid region. The transfer of U.S. technologies and coordination between companies, unions, and government agencies during the congress could accelerate the transition from disposal well injection toward more circular models.
The event represents an opportunity for provincial regulators, such as the Neuquén Energy Secretariat, to analyze regulatory frameworks that incentivize or facilitate reuse without compromising environmental standards or the economic viability of operations.