Highlights ExxonMobil, Shell, Tecpetrol say resource quality is unquestioned The challenge is above the ground; poor conditions Incoming government being watched for policy direction Buenos Aires — Three leading oil companies in Argentina, buoyed by the quality of the shale resources, are ready to ramp up oil and natural gas production in Vaca Muerta, but they are holding back until the economic and energy policies of the incoming government are more clear, senior executives said Wednesday. Argentinian President-elect Alberto Fernandez has yet to spell out his energy policy since winning the October 27 election, raising concerns about whether what he decides to do could detain the development of Vaca Muerta, even as it leads a recovery in oil and gas production after more than a decade of decline. Carlos Ormachea, CEO of Tecpetrol, the country’s third-largest biggest gas producer — and largest in Vaca Muerta — said he thinks […]