Argentina’s LNG export dreams under pressure

Exmar’s Tango FLNG vessel is being installed at the port of Bahía Blanca and is scheduled to start exporting by mid-2019. (Enarsa)

Until recently the second-largest LNG importer in South America, Argentina hopes to monetise the rising volumes of unconventional gas from its Neuquén and Austral basins via exports of LNG and pipeline gas. But the country’s ambitious plans for a large-scale liquefaction plant look increasingly unlikely to materialise as its financial problems mount. Argentina also wants to boost the use of gas in domestic sectors such as petrochemicals, which could be yet another hurdle to its large-scale LNG export plans.

Argentina will start small-scale exports of LNG...