Methodology
How each number is calculated, and what we do not know.
The Observatory does not measure emissions. It organizes public data, applies the rules of Resolution 258/2025 and shows the result with its source, its date and its margin. Data last generated: 2026-10-16.
1 · Segment
Production operated in Neuquén, in kBOE per year.
For each operator and calendar year, oil (m³) and gas (thousand m³) from all its wells with province “Neuquén” in Chapter IV are added up. They are converted with the factors set by the procedure itself: 6.2893 bbl per m³ of oil and 6.2657 BOE per thousand m³ of gas (5.8 MMBtu per BOE, 159.6 Sm³ per BOE).
If the year is not complete, it is annualized from the reported months and flagged as an estimate. With 7 months of 2026, annualized production is shown for reference only.
The threshold is 9,000 kBOE/year. Within 10% of the threshold, it is flagged as “near threshold”, because the rules do not say which production year defines the segment: the Observatory uses the inventory year itself.
Chapter IV reports volume at standard conditions; it is not corrected for the actual heating value of the gas. This is a conservative simplification that will be revisited once the province publishes its template.
2 · Attribution
“Within concession X, operated by Y.”
Each satellite detection is matched to the current concession polygon from Neuquén’s GeoServer. The Observatory reports that it occurred within an area and who operates it; it never presents it as the company’s own measurement. World Bank flares already include operator and field; they are kept as is, including the 59 unassigned ones.
Reported venting comes by operator and area from SESCO. The legal name is used exactly as it appears in the sworn filing; companies in the same group (for example Pluspetrol S.A. and Pluspetrol Cuenca Neuquina S.R.L.) are shown separately because that is how they report.
3 · Sources
What is used, how often and under which license.
| Data | Source | Frequency | License | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Well-level production (Chapter IV) | National Energy Secretariat, datos.energia.gob.ar | Monthly, with a 1 to 2 month lag | CC BY 4.0 | Oil (m³) and gas (thousand m³) production by well and operator in Neuquén. Basis for the segment. |
| Vented gas (SESCO, gas balance) | National Energy Secretariat | Monthly; latest month June 2026 | CC BY 4.0 | Reported vented volume by operator, area and month. |
| Concessions, venting permits | Neuquén Energy Undersecretariat (GeoServer) | As updated by the province | No written license published | Concession polygons with operator and validity; venting permits with authorized m³/day. |
| Thermal anomalies (VIIRS 375 m) | National Energy Secretariat, monthly report | Monthly; latest month June 2026 | Public | Hot spots detected by satellite, shown aggregated in grid cells. |
| Flaring by site | World Bank, Global Flaring and Methane Reduction (VIIRS) | Annual, 2012 to 2025 | Public | Flared volume by flare with operator and field. EOG, with another calibration, reports 50% more for 2024: the gap is documented. |
| Methane plumes | UNEP IMEO/MARS; Carbon Mapper; EMIT (NASA/JPL) | Continuous | CC BY-NC-SA (IMEO); non-commercial (Carbon Mapper); public (EMIT) | Point detections with estimated flow rate. They are cited and not redistributed in paid products. |
4 · Limits
What this site cannot claim.
- Whether an operator complied. Reports are filed with the province and are not public. The “Filed” column is completed only with official data.
- How much an operator emits. The Observatory does not calculate inventories. It shows reported venting, satellite-estimated flaring and detected plumes, each with its source.
- The exact flaring figure. Two calibrations of the same satellite differ by 50% for 2024. The World Bank series is published and the gap is explained.
- Plume coverage. Satellite programs detect only large emissions, on specific passes. An area with no plumes is not an area with no emissions.
5 · How to take part
Province, operators and community.
Province. The Observatory can publish the filing status of each report through a data-sharing agreement with the provincial climate change office. Fundación RAWE offers it at no cost.
Operators. An operator can publish its official inventory, next to the public-data estimate, from the carbon footprint tool. Fundación RAWE confirms the data with the company before publishing it. It is voluntary and free.
Community. All of the Observatory’s own data can be downloaded from Open data under CC BY 4.0, with the scripts that generate them.
Contact: hola@rawe.ar