Energy and vision: another edition of Vaca Muerta Insights has concluded. Ricardo Ferreiro spoke on the panel covering New Oil Developments in Northern Neuquén, while companies from our ProPymes Program contributed to a panel on the value chain; and the Techint Group as a whole was represented at the Education panel.

The Rainbow salon at the Magic Casino in Neuquén—the capital of Vaca Muerta—was standing room only. Ricardo Ferreiro, President E&P, shared his strategic outlook on the present and future of the Neuquén Basin. Speaking alongside Esteban Falcigno, Coordination and Infrastructure Manager at Pampa Energía, Ricardo outlined the progress at Los Toldos II Este—Tecpetrol’s emerging oil hub in northern Vaca Muerta. “It’s a highly demanding project, with four drilling horizons where the context is completely different to Fortín de Piedra. We’re extremely optimistic and aim to reach 70,000 barrels per day by early 2027,” he announced.

Ricardo noted that today’s environment presents distinct challenges. “The materials supply market is tighter, with longer lead times and rising costs—on top of potential volatility in oil prices. That means we need to move fast to stay competitive,” he said. He highlighted the Techint Group’s strategic advantage in engineering, construction, and project execution, which enables the company to accelerate development timelines and capitalize on emerging opportunities. The main goal is to drive oil growth in the Neuquén Basin and contribute to the overall ambition of reaching one million barrels per day by 2030.

Ricardo closed his remarks by addressing the global energy landscape. “The energy transition hasn’t stalled—but it has evolved. Demand continues to rise, while current energy systems struggle to keep pace,” he observed. “In this context, Argentina stands out as a stable, geopolitically neutral country with open access to global markets—and a resource potential that’s drawing growing international interest.”

Beyond technical expertise, the Group’s greatest asset is its people. During his panel, Fernando Favaro, Director of Community Relations at Ternium Argentina, underscored the critical role of skilled human capital in driving sustainable development. “Everything is achieved thanks to willpower, determination, and talent. But building human capital doesn’t happen overnight—that’s why our commitment to education in the long term is absolute,” he affirmed. Favaro highlighted several of the Group’s flagship initiatives: Technical Gene, the Roberto Rocca Technical School, and GenEra Neuquén—a program backed by Tecpetrol, Vista, and the Neuquén provincial government—alongside the Roberto Rocca and Gregorio Álvarez Scholarship programs, the latter also developed in partnership with local authorities.

Tecpetrol's value chain

Technology, collaboration, and growth defined the closing panel of the day, which spotlighted ProPymes, the Techint Group’s supplier development program and its role in strengthening the energy value chain. Christian Cerne, CEO of Proshale, presented the case of Svant—a greenhouse gas emissions management software developed in-house. “Svant’s real breakthrough came through Tecpetrol’s ProPymes Program, which encouraged us to implement the tool across the supplier network. Support from Ternium was also key in scaling the system to over 450 customers,” he noted.

Gonzalo Arribere of Hidrofrac shared how ProPymes helped them uncover opportunities to improve operations: “Thanks to Svant, we gained a clear picture of where we stood. That insight led to targeted decisions to cut emissions, lower consumption, and reduce costs.”

Carlos Etcheverry of Texproil closed the session by highlighting the value of the sustained support offered by the program: “We’re developing a custom plug using local technology for Tecpetrol. The training and technical assistance we receive empower us to innovate and compete from Neuquén with solutions designed to meet specific needs.”