Emissions Observatory · Vaca Muerta · data as of June 2026
27 operators produce in Neuquén. 8 are above the threshold and must report their emissions in 2026/09.
Neuquén’s Resolution 258/2025 created a greenhouse gas monitoring program for the upstream oil and gas sector. This site tracks its progress: who is covered, what they must file and when, and what public data on production, reported venting and satellite detections show while the province has not published the reports.
1 · Program status
Who is covered and what they must file.
The rules set a single cutoff: 9,000 kBOE per year of operated production. Above it, an operator is “large” and in September 2026 files its 2025 inventory with whatever verification it already performs plus an LDAR report. Below it, the operator files the inventory with its own methodology and no verification. The segment is calculated here from well-level production reported in Neuquén.
kBOE produced in Neuquén in 2025, per Chapter IV. Factors from the procedure itself: 6.2893 bbl per m³ of oil and 6.2657 BOE per thousand m³ of gas.
Operators producing in Neuquén, current obligation and status
See all 27| Operator | 2025 production kBOE, Neuquén | Segment | Current obligation | Due | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YPF | 170,138 | Large | Inventory 2026, own methodology | Next · 2027/09 | No official data |
| Tecpetrol | 44,084 | Large | Inventory 2026, own methodology | Next · 2027/09 | No official data |
| Pluspetrol | 33,941 | Large | Inventory 2026, own methodology | Next · 2027/09 | No official data |
| PAN American Energy | 31,739 | Large | Inventory 2026, own methodology | Next · 2027/09 | No official data |
| Pampa Energía | 31,661 | Large | Inventory 2026, own methodology | Next · 2027/09 | No official data |
| Total Austral | 31,527 | Large | Inventory 2026, own methodology | Next · 2027/09 | No official data |
| Vista Energy Argentina | 28,026 | Large | Inventory 2026, own methodology | Next · 2027/09 | No official data |
| Shell Argentina | 12,606 | Large | Inventory 2026, own methodology | Next · 2027/09 | No official data |
| Chevron Argentina | 7,847 | Small | Inventory 2026, own methodology | Next · 2027/09 | No official data |
| Pluspetrol Cuenca Neuquina | 15,534 est. | Small | Inventory 2026, own methodology | Next · 2027/09 | No official data |
| Kilwer | no data | Small | Inventory 2026, own methodology | Next · 2027/09 | No official data |
| Capex | 2,358 | Small | Inventory 2026, own methodology | Next · 2027/09 | No official data |
The “Filed” column will be completed once the provincial climate change office shares the reports it receives. Until then, the Observatory does not state whether an operator complied.
2 · Reported venting
0.554 BCM vented in 2025, with May 2026 as the highest month in the series.
Operators report every month how much gas they vent, by area. It is the same data that feeds the inventory: YPF accounts for 55% of the volume reported in 2025. The three areas with the most venting are Loma Campana, Bandurria Sur, Bajo Del Toro Norte.
Reported vented gas in Neuquén, January 2024 to June 2026 (thousand m³ per month)
Source: SESCO, National Energy Secretariat, gas balance, vented gas, Neuquén province (thousand m³). License CC BY 4.0.
Reported venting by operator, 2025 (thousand m³)
3 · Flares and satellite methane
What satellites see: 320 active flares and 41 methane sources with repeated plumes.
Flaring is estimated from the VIIRS sensor. The World Bank estimates 0.689 BCM for 2025 in Vaca Muerta and 0.859 for 2024, the highest in the series. Methane plumes come from public programs: IMEO/MARS (UN), Carbon Mapper and EMIT (NASA). Each detection is located within a concession and is never attributed to a company as its own measurement.
Neuquén concessions, 2025 flares, thermal anomalies and methane sources
Flaring in Vaca Muerta by year (BCM)
Source: World Bank, Global Flaring and Methane Reduction Partnership (VIIRS), Vaca Muerta sites.
Flaring by operator, 2025 (BCM)
Read as “within concessions operated by”. “Unassigned” are flares with no operator in the World Bank database.
4 · Timeline
What the province requires each year, 2026 to 2031.
Procedure IF-2026-00937453 raises the bar one step at a time: own methodology for the first two inventories, level 3 for large operators from the 2027 inventory and level 4 (company-specific methane factors) from the 2028 inventory. Small operators reach level 3 only with the 2029 inventory. No one can go below a level already reported. Full regulation.
| Inventory | Filed in | Large (≥ 9,000) | Small (< 9,000) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2026/09 | Own methodology · verification: yes, the corporate verification they already perform · 2025 LDAR report in September 2026 | Own methodology · verification: no |
| 2026 | 2027/09 | Own methodology + Scope 2 · verification: yes, the corporate verification they already perform · 2026 LDAR report in September 2027 | Own methodology + Scope 2 · verification: no |
| 2027 | 2028/09 | Level 3 at 100% + Scope 2 · verification: yes, under provincial criteria (to be defined in 2026) | Level 2 at 100% + Scope 2 · verification: no |
| 2028 | 2029/09 | Level 4 at 50% + Scope 2 · verification: yes | Level 2 at 100% + Scope 2 · verification: no |
| 2029 | 2030/09 | Level 4 at 75% + Scope 2 · verification: yes | Level 3 at 50% + Scope 2 · verification: to be defined |
| 2030 | 2031/09 | Level 4 at 100% + Scope 2 · verification: yes | Level 3 at 75% + Scope 2 · verification: to be defined |
5 · Method and limits
Every number comes with its source, its date and what we do not know.
The Observatory does not measure emissions: it organizes public data and applies the rules. An operator can publish its official inventory, next to the public estimate, from the carbon footprint tool. Full methodology.
6 · Frequently asked questions
Short answers, with source and date.
Data as of 2026-10-16.
What is the Vaca Muerta Emissions Observatory?
A public tracker of Neuquén’s emissions monitoring program (Resolution 258/2025), published by Fundación RAWE. It shows which oil and gas operators are covered, what each must file and when, and what public data on production, reported venting, flaring and satellite methane detections show. It does not measure emissions itself.
How many operators produce in Neuquén and which ones must report first?
27 operators have production in Neuquén (2025 data from the National Energy Secretariat). 8 are above the threshold of 9,000 kBOE per year and are classified as large; the other 19 are small. The first mandatory report is due in 2026/09.
How much gas was vented in Neuquén in 2025?
0.554 BCM of vented gas were reported in 2025, according to SESCO (National Energy Secretariat, gas balance). YPF accounts for 55% of that volume. Latest month available: June 2026.
How much gas was flared in Vaca Muerta?
0.689 BCM were flared in 2025 and 0.859 BCM in 2024, across 320 sites, according to the World Bank Global Flaring and Methane Reduction series (VIIRS satellite). Another calibration of the same satellite gives about 50% more for 2024; the gap is explained in the methodology.
Can I use and cite the data?
Yes. The Observatory’s own layers are published as open data under CC BY 4.0, with the scripts that generate them. Source licenses are listed in the methodology. Suggested citation: Fundación RAWE (2026). Vaca Muerta Emissions Observatory. rawe.ar/emisionesvacamuerta/en.