Logistics as a Value Generator in Vaca Muerta
By Darío H. Pellegrini
President of the SME Chamber of Salta
A resource without logistics has no value.
In Vaca Muerta, that statement has gone from being a slogan to becoming a concrete challenge.
More than a decade after the beginning of Argentina’s shale development, the growth of the energy sector is undeniable: accumulated investments exceeding USD 47 billion between 2013 and 2023, and more than USD 11.5 billion projected for 2024 alone, consolidate this formation as one of the country’s main economic drivers.
However, this progress has an increasingly visible downside: pressure on infrastructure. Energy no longer depends solely on what happens underground, but increasingly on what happens above ground.
From Resource to Value: The Role of Logistics
For years, the focus was on extraction, but today an equally decisive dimension is gaining prominence: logistics. Logistics does not transport resources—it transforms them into value.
In Vaca Muerta, each well requires an average of about 250 tons of sand. Sustained growth has increased demand from around 4 million tons to more than an estimated 5.5 million in 2025, with projections reaching between 7 and 8 million.
This volume implies much more than transportation—it requires coordination, efficiency, and predictability. Without a robust logistics system, competitiveness is lost.
The Challenge of Sustaining Growth
The undeniable growth of Vaca Muerta is beginning to depend on non-energy factors. In areas such as Añelo, where more than 30,000 vehicles circulate daily—including over 800 trucks linked to sand transport—congestion, infrastructure strain, and potential losses in operational efficiency are becoming evident.
The challenge is no longer to grow, but to sustain that growth without logistics becoming a bottleneck.
Logistics Brings Order: The Bypass Case
Solutions begin to show results when integrated into a territorial vision. A clear example is the road bypass developed in the Añelo area, within the framework of the Energy District promoted by TBSA.
This corridor allows heavy traffic to be diverted away from the urban core, improving connections between Provincial Route 7 and operational zones.
By separating truck flows from urban traffic, congestion is reduced, time is optimized, and system predictability increases.
As Gonzalo Kalaidjian, TBSA’s commercial manager, noted:
“When you manage to separate flows and organize routes, you not only reduce time—you improve safety and make the entire operation more efficient.”
Logistics as a Platform for Industrial Development
Logistics development reaches its full potential when integrated with production planning.
In Vaca Muerta, this is beginning to materialize through organized industrial areas that concentrate services and suppliers near activity hubs.
In this process, APIA has played a key role, promoting models that integrate logistics, industry, and services within a single framework.
In these developments, private investment is central—but it requires the right conditions.
Public-private coordination, along with tools such as RIGI and industrial promotion policies driven by the Province of Neuquén, are essential to attract capital and transform it into real development.
“The challenge is not only to bring industry closer to the resource, but to organize it,” summarized Rodolfo, President of APIA.
Transport: The Structural Limit
Within the logistics system, transport emerges as a critical factor. Logistics costs in Argentina can represent between 20% and 35% of the value of certain inputs—and in Vaca Muerta, this variable becomes decisive.
“If you cannot move it efficiently, growth becomes increasingly expensive,” industry sources warn.
Beyond Oil: New Opportunities
Logistics development also opens opportunities beyond the energy sector.
The incorporation of airport infrastructure in Añelo, within the Energy District, makes it possible to envision a logistics hub for exporting fresh products. Currently, much of these shipments depend on hubs such as Ezeiza. Operating from a closer node would reduce times, improve quality, and expand markets—transforming energy infrastructure into a diversified export platform.
The SME Opportunity
From the SME Chamber of Salta, it is clear that Vaca Muerta represents a concrete opportunity in a context of declining domestic consumption.
During an official visit in November 2025 with business leaders, a central idea emerged:
“The challenge is not only for Vaca Muerta to grow, but for that growth to translate into real opportunities for SMEs.”
However, this opportunity remains partially untapped, with structural barriers such as limited federal integration, access difficulties, and weak alignment between SME supply and energy sector demand. The potential exists—but integration does not, at least not yet.
The New Frontier of Value
Vaca Muerta has already proven it has resources. The challenge now is to prove it has a system.
In the Argentina to come, energy will not be measured solely in terms of production, but in the ability to transform those resources into real economic value and in that transformation, logistics is not a minor detail. It is the starting point.