According to local reports in November 2018, the government of Tierra del Fuego Province has given a preliminary award for the CA 12 I block to state company YPF following the call for tenders (Licitacion Nacional & Internacional No 1/2017) that ended in August 2018. No information is available regarding the expected work commitments that the company submitted in its 2-year exploration plan for the block. However, it has been said during promotional events for the call that the first exploration period should include geophysical and geological work, then followed by the drilling of an exploratory well in the second period. YPF presented a proposal to explore the CA 12 I block back in January 2017, and received the privilege of the right of preference as noted in the provincial decree No 2829 from October 2017.  The Province launched a call for tenders for the CA 12 I block, along with CA 12 II, in March 2018 after the call for the first block was originally announced in November 2017. CA 12 II (Licitacion Nacional & Internacional No 1/2018) was added into the mix in early-2018. YPF was reportedly the only company that submitted a bid for the CA 12 I block with a two-year exploration plan, while no offers were received for the CA 12 II block.  The 2,279 sq km CA 12 I block and 2,928 sq km CA 12 II are situated next to each other on the onshore side of Austral Basin.  Background Information  CA 12-1 was preliminary awarded to Roch in early-2011, although it was returned to the Province by the end of the year.
The government of Tierra del Fuego Province has given a preliminary award for the CA 12 I block to state company YPF following the call for tenders (Licitacion Nacional & Internacional No 1/2017)