YPF SA has completed the first phase of its unconventional Vaca Muerta exploration project in Mendoza province, Argentina, and is set to move forward with another pad of wells in a second phase next year.
The unconventional pilot project, YPF's first in Mendoza, began in second-quarter 2023 and has provided geological data to help interpret and characterize the formation's conditions at the Mendoza edge.
Phase one wells drilled in the southern end of Malargüe struck oil, enabling the company to push the productive boundaries of the formation beyond the core area of Neuquén province.
As part of work to explore Vaca Muerta, commitments were made in blocks CN VII A and Paso Bardas Norte. In CN VII A, the Aguada Negra vertical well was drilled to a depth of 2,576 m with a horizontal branch of 1,074 m, while in Paso Bardas Norte, a horizontal well of 1,059 m was drilled.
After drilling, 25 hydraulic fracturing stages were performed (12 in Paso Bardas Norte, 13 in Aguada Negra), with testing beginning Feb. 18 to assess reservoir levels. The wells are currently showing promising oil productivity data, the company said.
For the second exploration phase in 2025, YPF plans a vertical pilot and two horizontal branches of 2,500 m at greater depths in the CN VII A block.