In late-July 2018, the government of Rio Negro Province launched a call for tenders for six blocks situated in the Neuquen Basin through a bid round called Concurso Publico Nacional & Internacional 01/2018. The offered areas include the producing blocks of Catriel Oeste and Puesto Prado, which are currently being managed by the provincial company EDHIPSA, along with the blocks of Catriel Viejo, Tres Nidos, Las Bases, and Loma Guadalosa, which currently have no activities due to lack of investment in recent years. Offers will be accepted until 31 August 2018, with the minimum expected investment of USD 60 million over a period of five years for each block.  The plan to put the Catriel Oeste (45.24 sq km) and Puesto Prado (43.17 sq km) blocks up for bids was previously announced in February 2018. The former is located in the Northeast Platform part of Neuquen Basin, while the latter is in the Neuquen Embayment part. Both blocks were previously operated by Central Resources before the contracts expired in February 2017 and November 2017, respectively. The Catriel Oeste block 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. Meanwhile the Puesto Prado field in the Puesto Prado block was discovered in July 1989 and put on-stream later in the same year as a producer from the Punta Rosada and Lajas Formation within the Cuyo Group.  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, 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.  Las Bases block (153.94 sq km) is also situated in the the Northeast Platform part of Neuquen Basin, and included the Las Bases gas and condensate field, which has not reported production since March 2017. The area also included Estancia El Colorado gas and condensate field which was shut-in in 2009. The block was formerly operated by Central Resources up until approximately mid-2017.  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.  More information on the bid round process can be obtained from the Rio Negro Provinceâs Secretary of Energy, with the contact information of licitacion@energia.rionegro.gov.ar or +54 0299 4773371.  Background Information    In mid-June 2018, the government of Rio Negro Province granted an official award to state company YPF for the Cerro Manrique block, following the preliminary award for the block that was granted in late-April 2018. The call for tenders on the block was launched through a round called Concurso Publico Nacional & Internacional No 1/2017 in mid-November 2017.
In late-July 2018, the government of Rio Negro Province launched a call for tenders for six blocks situated in the Neuquen Basin through a bid round called Concurso Publico Nacional & Internacional 01/2018. The offered areas include the producing blocks of Catriel Oeste and Puesto Prado, which are currently being managed by the provincial company EDHIPSA, along with the blocks of Catriel Viejo, Tres Nidos, Las Bases, and Loma Guadalosa, which currently have no activities due to lack of investment in recent years. 