Argentina’s YPF SA YPF 2.34 % and American Energy Partners LP, run by energy industry veteran Aubrey McClendon , signed a deal Thursday to jointly explore and develop unconventional oil and gas projects in the South American nation, the chief executive of the Argentine state-run oil firm said. The deal, the latest in a series of international joint ventures by YPF, underscores growing global interest in Argentina’s Vaca Muerta—or “dead cow”—shale formation, located in the Patagonian Province of Neuquén. Drilling in Vaca Muerta has already turned Argentina into the world’s top shale producer outside of North America. YPF expects Mr. McClendon and his engineers to introduce a new, more competitive approach to producing unconventional energy in Argentina. “We are adding someone with experience that will speed up our learning curve,” Miguel Galuccio, YPF’s chief executive, said in […]