Despegue BUSINESS · SUPPLIER NICHES BUSINESS · WHO BUYS ESEN
up to date · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
Who you sell to, and who you compete against

The 39 companies driving these projects, and which side of the table each one is on

28 are project holders: the demand side, the ones you invoice. The other 11 already sell to this industry: not customers, but who you are priced against. Each row opens its province page.

39 companies tracked · 5 provinces · 14 listed

The 28 project holders: who you sell to

A company operating in two provinces appears in both, with what it does in each. The name opens that province’s company panel, where its KPIs, output and reserves live.
CompanyProvinceWhat it does thereOwnershipWhere it is from
AbraSilver Resource Corp (Diablillos)Salta
Diablillos, on the Salta/Catamarca border: Los Andes department (Salta) and Antofagasta de la Sierra (Catamarca)
The most advanced silver and gold project in the Salta perimeter: definitive feasibility closed in June 2026 and RIGI accession approved, with a…LISTED verif TSX: ABRA · OTCQX: ABBRFCanada
Challenger Gold (Hualilán)San Juan
Hualilán, Ullum department; processed at the Casposo plant (Calingasta)
The Australian junior that debuted the country's first mining toll millingLISTED prob ASX:CELAustralia
Eramet Eramine (Centenario-Ratones)Salta
Salar Centenario-Ratones, Salta puna
The first plant in the world to take Eramet's direct lithium extraction to industrial scale, and one of the two operations in the Salta perimeter…PRIVATE prob France
Fortuna Mining / Mansfield Minera (Lindero)Salta
Salar de Arizaro, Los Andes department — some 50 km from Tolar Grande, Salta puna
The province's only producing metal mine, and the only Salta operation that buys OPERATING services at metal-mine scale rather than construction…LISTED verif NYSECanada
Galan Lithium (Hombre Muerto Oeste)Catamarca
Salar del Hombre Muerto, western sector, Antofagasta de la Sierra department (~4,000 m above sea level)
Australian lithium junior that became the project with the largest local-content commitment in the countryLISTED prob Australia
Glencore (El Pachón)San Juan
El Pachón, Calingasta department (~3,600 m above sea level)
The Swiss trading giant holding San Juan's second copper mega-depositLISTED verif Switzerland
Glencore (El Pachón)Catamarca
Agua Rica, Andalgalá department, integrated with the plant and infrastructure of Bajo de la Alumbrera (Belén department)
Sole owner of Catamarca copper: the largest pool of stalled capital in the provinceLISTED verif Switzerland
Golar LNGRío Negro
Golfo San Matías (offshore)
Owner, converter and operator (O&M) of the two FLNGs of the Southern Energy project: Hilli Episeyo…LISTED prob Bermuda
Litio Minera Argentina / Ganfeng (Mariana)Salta
Mariana project, province of Salta
A 20,000 t/year lithium chloride production base with an announced investment of some USD 600 M, entirely from Ganfeng…PRIVATE prob China
McEwen Copper (Los Azules)San Juan
Los Azules, Calingasta department (~6 km from the border with Chile)
The country's first 'green' copper cathode, with Stellantis and Rio Tinto on boardPRIVATE verif United States and Canada
Minas Argentinas (Gualcamayo - grupo Eris/AISA)San Juan
Gualcamayo, Jachal department (~270 km north of the provincial capital)
The mature mine betting on a rebirth at depth (Carbonatos Profundos RIGI)PRIVATE prob Spain
Minera Andina del Sol (Veladero - JV Barrick/Shandong)San Juan
Veladero mine, Iglesia department (4,000-4,850 m above sea level)
The province's largest operating gold mine, today the floor under the 91% export share verif OPEM May-2026PRIVATE prob Canada and China
Minera del Altiplano / Rio Tinto (Fénix y Sal de Vida)Catamarca
Salar del Hombre Muerto (western sub-basin), Antofagasta de la Sierra department; associated compressor plant at Olacapato, Los Andes, Salta
Operates Fénix, in the Salar del Hombre Muerto: 38,000 t/yr of lithium carbonate after Phase 1B verif Res…LISTED prob United Kingdom and Australia
Pampa EnergíaNeuquén
Rincón de Aranda
Shale-oil operator in Rincón de Aranda. The block's development plan began in August 2024, foresees investments exceeding USD 1,500M and targets a…LISTED verif Argentina
Pampa EnergíaRío Negro
Golfo San Matías (LNG)
Partner in the Southern Energy floating LNG project with 20% of SESA (alongside PAE 30%, YPF 25%, Harbour 15% and Golar 10%)…LISTED verif Argentina
Pan American Energy (PAE)Neuquén
Vaca Muerta
Second-largest oil producer IN THE COUNTRY: ~105,762 bbl/d (12.2% of national crude, Dec-2025)…PARENT LISTED prob Argentina, China and the United Kingdom
Pan American Energy (PAE)Río Negro
Loma Guadalosa / Golfo San Matías
Operator of Loma Guadalosa, Río Negro's first unconventional concession. Article 4 of Decreto 447/26 splits the concession between Pan American…PARENT LISTED prob Argentina, China and the United Kingdom
Phoenix Global ResourcesRío Negro
Confluencia Norte / Confluencia Sur (Río Negro's Vaca Muerta)
Pioneering shale operator on the Rio Negro side of Vaca Muerta: 7 horizontal wells in Confluencia Norte/Sur with over USD 110 M committed…PRIVATE verif Switzerland
PluspetrolNeuquén
Vaca Muerta
Operator; ~62,557 bbl/d country-wide, of which ~45,269 bbl/d in Neuquén (Dec-2025, Secretaría de Energía)…PRIVATE prob Netherlands
Posco Argentina / POSCO (Sal de Oro)Salta
Salar del Hombre Muerto (Salta/Catamarca border strip) + hydroxide plant at General Güemes
The only lithium operator in the Salta perimeter that also industrializes outside the salar: its General Güemes hydroxide plant has been operating…PRIVATE prob South Korea
Rincón Mining / Rio Tinto (Salar de Rincón)Salta
Salar de Rincón, Los Andes department (84,687 ha)
The only lithium operation of a global diversified major in Argentina. The «Rincón 3000» starter plant (3,000 t/year) has been producing since November 2024…PRIVATE verif United Kingdom and Australia
SACDERío Negro
VMOS route (joint venture) · manufacturing base in Villa Regina (phase 2)
Half of the Techint–SACDE JV that built the VMOS oil pipeline (437 km, 30 inches, Allen→Punta Colorada): construction since February 2025, last…PRIVATE verif Argentina
SICIMRío Negro
San Matías pipeline: Tratayén (Neuquén) → the Golfo San Matías coast
Leader (51%) of the JV with Víctor Contreras (49%) that won the civil works for the three sections of the San Matías pipeline: ~USD 530 M, a bid ~15%…PRIVATE prob Italy
TanGo EnergyRío Negro
Entre Lomas, Jarilla Quemada, Charco del Palenque, Jagüel de los Machos, 25 de Mayo-Medanito SE
Concession holder under Decreto 509/26: it receives five oil and gas areas and three transport concessions…PARENT LISTED prob Singapore and Mexico
Techint Ingeniería y ConstrucciónRío Negro
VMOS route: Allen → Chelforó → Punta Colorada
Builder of the VMOS oil pipeline in a JV with SACDE: 437 km, 30 inches, 2 sections (~110 km Allen→Chelforó + 327 km Chelforó→Punta Colorada), 22…PRIVATE prob Italy and Argentina
TecpetrolNeuquén
Fortin de Piedra / Los Toldos
Historic leader in shale gas (Fortín de Piedra); 2nd-largest gas producer (~15.8 MMm3/d, 23% in 2024). It submitted Los Toldos II Este to RIGI.PRIVATE prob Luxembourg
Vicuña Corp (JV BHP - Lundin Mining)San Juan
Josemaría and Filo del Sol, Iglesia department
The country's largest copper project: a JV of two global majorsPRIVATE verif Australia and Canada
Vista EnergyNeuquén
Vaca Muerta (Bandurria Sur) / Neuquén
Unconventional-oil operator in Vaca Muerta; it strengthened its position in Bandurria Sur after acquiring Equinor's assets (2026).LISTED verif Mexico
Víctor ContrerasRío Negro
San Matías pipeline: Tratayén (Neuquén) → the Golfo San Matías coast
Argentine partner (49%) in the SICIM-led JV (51%) that won the civil works for the three sections of the San Matías pipeline…PRIVATE verif Argentina
YMAD (Yacimientos Mineros de Agua de Dionisio) — Farallón NegroCatamarca
Farallón Negro / Alto de la Blenda mining complex, Hualfín district, Belén department (2,000-2,500 m above sea level); refinery and head office in San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca (Salta 1127)
The provincial state's miner: it produces Catamarca's only gold and silver and runs, in the capital, the country's only gold and silver refineryPRIVATE verif Argentina
YPF S.A.Neuquén
Vaca Muerta / Neuquén city
The leading unconventional oil and gas operator; it runs the RTIC control center in Neuquén city.LISTED verif Argentina
YPF S.A.Río Negro
Punta Colorada / Golfo San Matías
Anchor of the Rio Negro export corridor: lead partner of VMOS (terminal at Punta Colorada, RIGI accession granted by Resolución 302/2025), 25% of…LISTED verif Argentina

LISTED public filings and presentations: you can read its capex plan before pitching  ·  PARENT LISTED the Argentine subsidiary does not report; the parent does — an indirect signal, not the project’s numbers  ·  PRIVATE no public financial information: whatever you need to know, you have to ask

28 companies, 32 rows: 4 operate in two provinces and appear once in each, because what they do there is different.

The 11 service companies: who you compete against

CompanyProvinceWhat it does thereOwnershipWhere it is from
Buzca S.A.Río Negro
San Antonio Oeste and Golfo San Matías (works); head office in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
Contractor to Southern Energy S.A. (SESA) for the construction of the offshore pipeline that connects the Río Negro coast with the liquefaction vessel…Colombia
CoreMarineRío Negro
Golfo San Matías (offshore campaign); head office in Norway
Contract awarded by Southern Energy S.A. to transport and install the soft yoke (SSY) mooring systems and to hook up the Hilli Episeyo and the MK II…Norway
HalliburtonNeuquén
Vaca Muerta
Co-leader of the fracking market (alongside SLB, ~70% of stages between the two). Main client: YPF (contract for 4 electric Zeus sets)…LISTED verif NYSEUnited States
IEB Construcciones S.A.Río Negro
Route of the San Matías pipeline, Río Negro
Construction management of the pipeline, awarded in the same package as the civil worksArgentina
Jumbo OffshoreRío Negro
Golfo San Matías (offshore campaign); head office in the Netherlands
Subcontracted by CoreMarine to transport and install the soft yoke mooring system, with heavy lift and piling activities…Netherlands
Meridian Transportes Marítimos S.A. / Adani Harbour International FZCORío Negro
Golfo San Matías and Punta Colorada, Río Negro
A 10-year contract starting in 2027, with USD 70 million of investment in marine infrastructure: 4 high-specification tugs, 1 AHTS and 1 crew transfer vessel…India
NOV (National Oilwell Varco)Río Negro
Golfo San Matías (equipment installed); head office in the United States
Supplies the SSY systems that let the two units weathervane around a single mooring point, aligning with the environmental forces…United States
SLB (Schlumberger)Neuquén
Vaca Muerta
Co-leader of the fracking market. In the 2025 cumulative it passed Halliburton in stages (SLB 9,312 vs 9,023), though Halliburton regained the lead in 2026…LISTED verif NYSECuraçao
TenarisNeuquén
Vaca Muerta (services) / Campana plant (Buenos Aires, pipe)
Quasi-monopoly pipe (OCTG) supplier and, on top of that, it operates its own frac sets in Vaca Muerta. It expanded the Campana plant to 1.3 M t/yr…LISTED verif Luxembourg
Welspun CorpRío Negro
San Matías pipeline: Tratayén (Neuquén) → Golfo San Matías (imported pipe; first arrivals Aug 2026)
Supplier of the 36-inch welded pipes for the San Matías pipeline (471 km, Tratayén→San Matías Gulf, 27 MMm³/d initial) for Southern Energy / San…LISTED verif scrip 532144India
Yantai CIMC RafflesRío Negro
Yantai, China (the conversion is not done in Argentina)
Conversion of the MK II at the Yantai shipyard, with USD 1,000 million already spent as of Oct 23, 2025, delivery expected in late 2027 and operation…China

What decision this changes

thesisOur reading

What follows does not come from a source that states it: it is what we read when we cross the figures on this page. Every number behind it is above, with its confidence mark and its source.

If you are selling a service

The project list tells you where the work is. This one tells you who signs the purchase order, which is not the same thing: the RIGI holder is usually a vehicle with a different name and tax ID from the brand you know.

What to do today: before sending a proposal, check the Ownership column. For a listed company you can read the capex plan in its quarterly report and know what it is about to buy; a private one you have to ask.

If you are already in the sector

The 11 service companies below are not colour: they already hold the relationship and have set the price. Meeting them head-on in their own specialty is the most expensive way in.

What to do today: cross this list with the niches. Where a niche names no incumbent, the gap belongs to a local supplier, not to a multinational.

How to read this, and what it does not say

Where it comes from. From the 39 records in data/empresas/, with the confidence mark and source they already carry. No figure is computed on this page: it collects and groups.

Holder or service company is decided by the sector, not by us. Same rule the province panel uses: oilfield services, steel and pipe are suppliers; everything else is a holder. A company that does both falls on the side of its declared sector.

“Listed” refers to the Argentine vehicle, not the group. Several holders are local companies that do not list even though their parent does; the column says so and the detail is in the record. An empty field is never published as “not listed”.

What it does NOT say. This is nobody’s supplier register and not the full list of companies in these provinces: these are the ones that show up in the projects in this portfolio. A company missing here is not a company that is absent.

How to read the seals →   verif primary source · prob primary source pending · unconf not sufficiently backed · estim our own calculation · thesis our reading
Ignacio Aredez
Ignacio Aredez· Chief analyst
Credentials and track record →
  • 10+ years in data science for clients across Europe and the Americas
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  • Registered expert with the European Commission