Аргентина объявила об открытии крупного месторождения сланцевого газа

Аргентинская компания YPF(дочерняя структура испанской компании Repsol) сообщила об обнаружении крупного месторождения сланцевого газа, которое должно помочь стране снизить зависимость от импорта этого топлива. По предварительным оценкам запасы месторождения составляют 7.28 триллиона кубометров газа.Несколько позднее сегодня компания предполагает сообщить подробнее о данном проекте. (Reuters) — Argentine energy firm YPF, the local unit of Spain's Repsol (REP.MC: Quote), has discovered a massive shale gas reserve that could help the country reduce its imports of the fuel, local media reported Monday.
The deposit, which the company is expected to announce formally on Tuesday, could hold 257 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of natural gas, a technician involved in the exploration was quoted as telling daily newspaper La Nacion.
The South American country currently has proven natural gas reserves of 16 TCF, according to a 2009 estimate by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), and demand has risen strongly in recent years due to robust economic growth.
However, government intervention in the market and political uncertainty has discouraged investment in exploration and energy production has fallen in recent years, forcing the country to import more fuel to meet its needs.
Argentina imports natural gas from neighboring Bolivia, which has South America's second-biggest natural has reserves after Venezuela and also exports to Brazil. It also imports diesel and liquefied natural gas (LNG). [ID:nN03292326]
According to Monday's reports, the YPF YPFd.BA shale gas find was discovered at the company's Loma de la Lata conventional natural gas field in the Patagonian province of Neuquen.
No one at YPF was immediately available to comment.