Neuquén Receives 20 Bids to Explore Eight Vaca Muerta Areas

The province of Neuquén moved forward with opening economic proposals corresponding to the first 2026 round of the Neuquén Exploration Plan (PEN). The process was carried out by Gas y Petróleo del Neuquén (GyP) to define exploration of new Vaca Muerta areas.

At this stage, 20 bids from 10 companies were submitted for eight of the 15 blocks included in the tender. The proposals include economic contributions, planned exploration investments, and conditions associated with royalties and provincial participation.

The set of bids exceeds US$180 million in bonuses for the Neuquén Treasury and US$230 million in committed exploration investments. The areas covered are Corralera Noreste, Corralera Noroeste, Corralera Sur, Águila Mora Noreste, La Tropilla I, Pampa de las Yeguas II NE, Santo Domingo II, and Chasquivil Sur.

The evaluation will also consider the access bonus to the Treasury, the incremental royalty, and GyP's participation in the Temporary Consortium, set within a range of 10% to 20%. Additionally, the technical consistency of the proposed work and its conversion into work units will be analyzed, in accordance with the criteria established in the tender documents.

GyP will now begin reviewing the proposals to prepare a pre-award report. That document will subsequently be submitted to the Board of the provincial company, which will have final decision-making authority over the process.