- Vaca Muerta is one of the largest reserves of unconventional oil and gas in the world and a strategic pillar for the growth and sustainability of the Argentine company YPF and the country's economy in general.
- Técnicas Reunidas will carry out the engineering, project management, procurement and construction management for the development of a hydrocarbon storage and dispatch terminal.
- The contract awarded to Técnicas Reunidas will be worth around 440 million dollars and will require the dedication of 1 million hours of work.
- This is the second recent project of the Spanish company in Argentina, as it is currently successfully completing the project to improve the Luján de Cuyo refinery.
- The Vaca Muerta contract is in line with the SALTA strategic plan that Técnicas Reunidas presented last May, in its commitment to participate in projects minimizing construction risk.
VMOS SA, a company owned by YPF, the largest company in the Argentine energy sector, has awarded Técnicas Reunidas the contract to carry out engineering and management services related to the development of the Vaca Muerta project, the large deposit that extends over 30,000 sq kms in several provinces in central Argentina.
This oil project, which is the largest in the country and has one of the largest reserves of unconventional oil and gas in the world, not only strengthens YPF's position in the global energy market, but also boosts Argentina's economic development by creating jobs and attracting foreign investment.
The works entrusted to the Spanish company include engineering, procurement and construction management services, under an EPCm (engineering, procurement and construction management) contract, for a hydrocarbon storage and dispatch terminal that will be located in Punta Colorada, on the coast of the province of Río Negro.
The terminal will have a storage capacity of 600,000 m3, a very significant figure on an international scale, and will be divided into five tanks. Its dispatch capacity will be 62,000 m3 per day through two single-buoys that will be able to load VLCC (very large crude carrier) tankers.
The contract awarded to Técnicas Reunidas will be worth around 440 million dollars, of which more than 70 million will be for engineering and project management services. In turn, the total investment that YPF and its partners will have to face for the full execution of the terminal will be around 1.8 billion dollars.
The works at Técnicas Reunidas will be carried out by engineers from the company's centres in Madrid, Argentina and Chile. Its execution will require the dedication of almost 1 million hours of work.
In an earlier stage of this same project, Técnicas Reunidas was responsible for optimising the conceptual engineering previously developed by YPF. This work made it possible to reduce the investment figures and execution times of the planned infrastructures, with the aim of enabling the Argentine company to export fuel at reduced capacity as quickly as possible, once local demand was met.
The award of the new contract continues Técnicas Reunidas' relationship with this client, given that the Spanish company is currently successfully completing the project to improve the Luján de Cuyo refinery that YPF recently awarded it.
The Vaca Muerta contract is in line with the drive that Técnicas Reunidas is currently giving to its involvement in projects in which construction risk is minimized, in line with the SALTA strategic plan that it presented last May.
About VMOS SA
This company, owned by YPF, Vista Energy Argentina SAU, Pampa Energía SA and Pan American Sur SA, is responsible for the entire development of the Vaca Muerta project and the infrastructure that is to begin commercial operation in July 2027.
This includes the construction of the crude oil export pipeline, with a length of 437 km, and the loading and unloading terminal, with interconnected monobuoys and a tank and storage yard, which represents a total investment of US$3 billion.
In addition, VMOS has granted options to Chevron, Pluspetrol and Shell, among others, to become part of the company, leading to an additional expansion of capacity.
About Techniques Reunidas
The Spanish company Técnicas Reunidas is a global engineering company, with a presence in 25 countries and a track record that includes more than 1,000 industrial plants throughout its more than 60 years of experience.
It specialises in the design and construction of large industrial plants dedicated mainly to the production of clean fuels, natural gas and chemical products. The company is also at the forefront of technologies and solutions related to the energy transition, the circular economy and the decarbonisation of facilities.
With a workforce of more than 11,000 employees, the majority of whom are highly qualified engineers, Técnicas Reunidas' headquarters in Spain is an important centre of engineering excellence.
Source: Tecnicas Reunidas
