By Víctor Quilaqueo / OPSur.- The announcements and negotiations to increase gas exploration and exploitation shows once again the central role of hydrocarbons in the country’s economic life. In the midst of the pandemic and climate crisis, the “Plan Gas 4” combined corporate expectations with the design of a legal and technical framework. The four-year … Seguir leyendo Southern Patagonia: Argentina promotes extreme energies at the south of the continent →

Workers at Total’s Grandpuit refinery, in the Paris region, have been on strike and mobilized for 45 days. On January 26 the workers painted the Total Tower green to denounce the ‘greenwashing’1 carried out by the oil company to justify job cuts. By A Planeta and OPsur .- The strike has been provoked by an unjust social plan and a … Seguir leyendo France: strike at Total’s Grandpuits refinery for a real energy transition →

The world is facing a major environmental crisis for which the prevailing energy paradigm—a 72% of which consists of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas)—is mainly responsible, due to greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. Not only pollution but also unequal access to energy and corporate capture are the central pieces of the global energy matrix that … Seguir leyendo Just Transition: Latin American debates for the energy future →

A bill seeking to introduce a one-time wealth tax—the so-called “Extraordinary Solidarity Contribution”—has been preliminary approved by the lower house of the Argentine Congress. 25% of the proceeds are earmarked for gas exploration and exploitation, which represents a third of YPF’s planned investments for 2020. The priority is to reactivate the unconventional play Vaca Muerta. … Seguir leyendo We’ve Been Bamboozled! Fracking and Big Fortunes in Argentina →

When the people of Cerro Alto found out that the Chinese company Envision Energy was going to set up a wind farm, the first question that the Mapuche and criollo families asked was if the electricity generated would reach their homes. In that rural area of the Río Negro province, close to the touristy Bariloche, … Seguir leyendo Another Renewable False Step: The Cerro Alto Wind Power Project →

The Argentine Sea is vast, and abundant, and there are not only fish in it: the significant potential oil and gas reserves piqued the interest of Argentina’s government and the big oil companies. Photo: Clyde Thomas @Unsplash By Victor Quilaqueo / OPSur The  companies advancing on the Argentine Sea’s ultra-deep reservoirs have diverse origins. Equinor, … Seguir leyendo Norway at the Forefront: Extreme Energy Projects in the Argentine Sea →

Discussing energy financing and its sustainability is essential for the economic development of Argentina. In the past few years, the extraction of energy resources from unconventional hydrocarbons has been at the heart of the debate. Vaca Muerta and argentine development: full report | executive summary The US fracking boom in the last decade has been … Seguir leyendo Vaca Muerta and argentine development →

Vientos Neuquinos I (Neuquén Winds) is the first wind power farm inaugurated in the province of Neuquén, among many still in the pipeline. With the launching of this project, green bonds became available in the Buenos Aires stock exchange. Prior to its construction, the provincial government concealed the fact that the place where the wind … Seguir leyendo Neuquen Winds: The Province Enters the Wind Power Race by Displacing Peasants →

As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, the impacts of this unseen scenario are far from been equal to everyone and everywhere. This off course applies to all activities and specially to the fosil fuel industry and the people’s organization to halt the advance of it. By OPSur – In the middle of this thoughts, with perfect … Seguir leyendo Vaca Muerta: notes from territories →

In recent years, the discourses and promises of an increase of electricity generation from renewable resources have multiplied. But where do renewables actually stand in the Argentine scene? The major projects lay bare the fact that generation from cleaner sources, even if on the rise, is still marginal and furthers a market-based vision of energy. … Seguir leyendo Renewables Energies: A Plan Tailored to The Market →