The intention of the Milei government was to trigger a sustained surge in oil output and exports, transforming Argentina from a marginal self-centred producer into a regional energy exporter. At the core of that ambition lies Vaca Muerta, the country’s most important energy asset and one of the world’s largest shale formations. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Vaca Muerta holds an estimated 16 billion barrels of technically recoverable shale oil and 308 trillion cubic feet of n ...