The Vaca Muerta shale formation in Neuquén, Argentina, continues to unlock new opportunities while raising the bar for what the local energy industry needs. For Tenaris, the answer lies in staying close to its customers, combining experience across different markets, and translating that knowledge into products and services tailored to local operational needs.
Carlos Blanc, Global Supply Chain Director, participated in Shale in Argentina: unleashing Vaca Muerta to the world, an event organized by the Argentinian Institute of Petroleum & Gas (IAPG) in Houston. The event brought together leading industry referents to share key milestones achieved in Vaca Muerta and explore how recent advances across the upstream, midstream and oilfield services sectors are shaping the play's next phase of growth.
Blanc joined a services-focused panel alongside Patricio Whitney, Managing Director for Argentina, Bolivia and Chile at SLB; Luis Perdomo, PSL Global Operations Manager at Halliburton; and Miguel Di Vicenzo, General Manager at SPI, moderated by María Mina from IAPG Houston.
Blanc highlighted the synergy between Tenaris's operations in Argentina and the United States, and how the company leverages its global presence to bring cutting-edge solutions to local markets. He highlighted the development of the TenarisHydril Wedge Series 400TM connections in the US as a concrete example: "We developed these new connections and deployed them with a lot of success in the US, and this is something we moved rapidly to Argentina. Most operators are using them today."
On the expansion of Tenaris's Oil & Gas Services business unit in Argentina, Blanc highlighted that Tenaris has invested more than USD 240 million over the last six years to incorporate new technologies. Today, this business unit operates three hydraulic fracturing sets and two coiled tubing units, with a third on the way.
The third fracturing set, which started operations last month , has 28 pumps equipped with Dynamic Gas Blending (DGB) Tier IV technology, which improves efficiency by using compressed natural gas (CNG) as a power source, reducing diesel consumption by more than 80%. This enables more efficient operations with lower carbon emissions for customers and consolidates Tenaris as the third-largest service provider in the basin.
In Q1 2027, Tenaris will also incorporate a drilling rig specifically designed for surface casing construction, delivering this section on a turnkey basis. The rig will feature capabilities currently unavailable in Argentina and will incorporate AI-powered software to optimize drilling rate of penetration.
Blanc also underscored the value of Tenaris's Remote Monitoring Center, a real-time support hub for onsite field operations , developed in the United States, as a model for what's possible in Argentina. "We're the only casing supplier that offers this level of 24/7 remote technical support for our customer. Nowadays, we monitor around 300 jobs a month, and our goal is to soon cover 100% of our casing running jobs in the United States while continuing to expand our iRun Casing® service . This provides an additional level of support that enables customers to execute casing runs safely, efficiently, and with confidence,” he said.
As Vaca Muerta enters its next phase of growth, Tenaris's integrated approach combining tubular expertise, a growing services platform, and advanced digital tools, positions the company as a long-term partner for operators seeking efficiency, reliability and innovation in one of the world's most promising unconventional formations.
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