Privileged Accumulation Spaces in Vaca Muerta? The case of Tecpetrol

Abstract

The objective of this article is to investigate the performance of Tecpetrol, a subsidiary of the Techint group in the oil field, during the period 2016-2018. The working hypothesis is that the company was benefited by the formation of a privileged area of capital accumulation around the exploitation of the formation "Vaca Muerta". Through Resolution 46-E / 2017 of the former National Ministry of energy and mining, a program to stimulate unconventional gas production was created, to which Tecpetrol adhered with its shale gas production project at the Fortín de Piedra deposit. The program facilitated a productive leap and the obtaining of extraordinary profits by Tecpetrol with little entrepreneurial risk. The methodological strategy articulates the macro analysis, to determine the conformation of a Privileged Area of Accumulation (APA), and the micro analysis, through the case study of Tecpetrol. Different techniques are used ranging from bibliographic and documentary analysis to economic-financial analysis, and different sources, such as the specific bibliography on the subject, official statistical series and the accounting statements of the company.