According to reports in late-November 2018, Rio Negro Province has officially granted four concessions to Aconcagua Energia with decree number 1523/18 following the Concurso Publico Nacional & Internacional 01/2018 bid round that ended in August 2018. The company was awarded the Catriel Oeste production block, along with Catriel Viejo, Loma Guadalosa, and Tres Nidos exploration blocks in Neuquen Basin. The operator submitted a bid of over USD 16 million with a bonus of 6.54 million for the Province on the Catriel Oeste block, which had been managed by the provincial company EDHIPSA. Meanwhile for the Catriel Viejo, Loma Guadalosa, and Tres Nidos blocks, the company proposed a combined investment of over USD 23 million along with the bonus of USD 180,000 each for the first two blocks, and USD 100,000 for the last. Aconcagua will operate the blocks for ten years of validity with 90% equity, while EDHIPSA holds the remaining 10%.   Catriel Oeste (45.24 sq km) is located in the Northeast Platform part of Neuquen Basin. Prior to the takeover by EDHIPSA in early-2017, the block was previously operated by Central Resources until its contract expired. Catriel Oeste area includes the field with the same name that was discovered in 1959 by YPF. The field has been in production from a shallow Quintuco reservoir since 1965 with an approximate depth of 850 m. The field has 110 producing wells with about 50 water injection wells and two salt water disposal wells.  Catriel Viejo (287.4 sq km) and the adjacent Tres Nidos block (89.14 sq km) are both situated in the Northeast Platform part of Neuquen Basin as well, and previously operated by Medanito up until early-2016 and late-2017, respectively. The Catriel Viejo area includes the Loma Montosa oil and gas field (shut-in in 1989), Barda Alta oil and gas field (shut-in in 2008), Chanar Brea oil discovery (2013), and Catriel Viejo oil and gas field (shut-in in 2015), while the Tres Nidos area includes the field with the same name which was shut-in in 2014.  Loma Guadalosa block (102 sq km) is located in the Neuquen Embayment part of the Neuquen Basin, and includes the oil and gas field of the same name which was temporarily shut-in from 1985 through 2007, and has not reported production since August 2016. The block was formerly operated by Pluspetrol up until late-2016.  Background Information    In late-July 2018, the government of Rio Negro Province launched a call for tenders for six blocks through Concurso Publico Nacional & Internacional 01/2018. The offered areas include the producing blocks of Catriel Oeste and Puesto Prado, along with the blocks of Catriel Viejo, Tres Nidos, Las Bases, and Loma Guadalosa, which had no activities due to lack of investment in recent years.
Aconcagua Energia SA received official awards for Catriel Oeste, Catriel Viejo, Loma Guadalosa, and Tres Nidos in Rio Negro Province, Neuquen Basin