As a leading energy producer in the region, Tecpetrol is keenly aware of the responsibilities that come with that role. Cecilia Carreño, Environmental Manager in the Neuquén Basin, explains how this focus took shape, what it entails in practice, and where the company is headed.

That mindset runs through many aspects of daily operations. From field electrification to advanced leak detection and cultural training programs, the company is methodically tightening its focus on greenhouse gas (GHG) management across all business fronts, often ahead of regulation.

Tecpetrol began working on emissions long before it was required by regulatory authorities or investor pressure. How does the company balance this voluntary commitment without a mandatory framework in place?

Tecpetrol is a privately held company, so no market or international external pressure is dictating a specific course of action or requiring alignment with a mandated emissions reduction target. Our initiatives stem entirely from a proactive commitment. This journey began in 2014, when we developed preliminary emissions inventories using manual calculations based on EPA and API (2001) standards. In 2023, we engaged an external consultant to perform a comprehensive inventory, applying globally recognized methodologies.

That early voluntary alignment now helps Tecpetrol stay ahead of regulatory shifts. Argentina’s own regulatory framework for fugitive emissions is still emerging, so being prepared gives the company an advantage in data integrity and compliance readiness. The company has its own GHG management roadmap (2025–2027), which aims to enhance data reliability by benchmarking against global peers and adopting new software tools to automate reporting for improved accuracy.

This proactive culture, which is part of our corporate DNA, reflects a broader industry trend: just a couple of years ago, the International Energy Agency (IEA) noted that “Oil and gas producers are facing a moment of truth as clean energy transitions accelerate: they must either reduce emissions from their operations or risk losing their social license to operate.”

However, amid growing geopolitical tension and rising concerns over energy security, the IEA has emphasized that ensuring reliable and affordable energy supplies now ranks equally with sustainability. Energy producers must therefore strike a balance: accelerate emissions reduction while safeguarding supply security; otherwise, they risk failing to meet both regulatory expectations and public trust.

Oil and gas operations inherently generate emissions. Where do you see the most significant technical barriers to decarbonization?

Many emissions are inherent to equipment design, such as those from combustion and routine operations, which cannot be eliminated. However, there is significant potential to reduce others, ranging from leaks at pipe joints to improperly sealed purge valves. Even minor improvements can deliver meaningful results. Our main efforts focus on compressors and storage tanks, as these represent the most significant sources of emissions in our hydrocarbon operations.

For instance, we’ve now installed Vapor Recovery Units (VRUs), devices installed on top of the tanks, which are essential sources of fugitive emissions. When the tanks are full of liquid, the remaining headspace fills with gas, which seeps into the atmosphere. It captures gas, which can then be reinjected into the process. We’ve also introduced refining procedures to prevent leaks from purge valves that sometimes remain open due to debris, such as sand.

We’ve also been able to reduce emissions from operations through our field electrification initiative, which powers our rigs and camps directly from the grid, rather than relying on diesel generators. It’s part of the company’s practical, step-by-step approach, which underscores the point made by the IEA that “reducing methane and CO₂ from operations depends less on breakthroughs and more on operational discipline and proven technology.” 

After years of relying on inventory estimates based on emission factors and standardized calculations, Tecpetrol transitioned to real-time field measurement in 2024. What have been the main challenges in ensuring data reliability?

We started using flights—planes with sensors that detect emissions. Oilfields can cover 300, 500, or even 600 square kilometers, so it’s tough to cover that surface with drones or ground cameras. It’s a shift from theoretical to empirical data. Field measurements are primarily helpful in identifying areas that need repair. If we find an area with too many fugitive emissions—since that’s the only type you can measure in the field—we use a high-precision infrared camera to check it, locate the leak, and make the necessary repairs. That’s the purpose of field measurements. Our GHG management timeline shows that we’ve completed three aerial measurement campaigns to date, with further investments planned in software integration and data validation by 2027, as outlined in the roadmap.

You’ve described emissions management as a cultural change. How has Tecpetrol moved from awareness to ownership?

The biggest challenge has been embedding the issue within the company and introducing this new variable. When evaluating a project, you traditionally assess it as a technical and economic concern; now we’re adding an entirely new environmental component. Therefore, people must consider emissions when comparing different equipment or transportation options, for instance. Initially, no one was forcing us to do this. Now that everyone’s talking about it, people are contributing ideas and creating synergies to address emissions, even in operations where conditions are really demanding; it’s becoming a company-wide topic. It’s something that has come entirely from within.

The main turning point occurred in 2024, when we launched the Champions Program to directly engage our operational staff in helping us achieve our environmental goals. Four people from operations were selected as environmental allies to address the issue, raise awareness, and gather ideas for projects. What started as a six-month experiment became a catalyst for change, making emissions everyone’s business.

We paired this with workshops and internal communication campaigns, such as “Actions that Lower Emissions,” complete with its own flipbook, which reached hundreds of employees across Argentina and Colombia. Eventually, after meeting all the objectives, the Champions program was phased out, with the role taken up by the Project Leaders.

How is Tecpetrol dealing with the challenges of complying with Scopes 1, 2, and 3?

We’re focusing on Scopes 1 and 2 for now—Scope 3, which covers emissions across the value chain, is significantly more complex here, as it includes contributions from suppliers, contractors, and downstream use of our products, requiring a broader analysis of how energy is produced, transported, and ultimately consumed. Scope 1 encompasses direct emissions from our own operations, while Scope 2 refers to indirect emissions resulting from the use of purchased energy (electricity, heat, cooling). Regarding critical suppliers such as drilling rigs, fracturing sets, and logistics contractors, we’re already comparing fleet fuel use to pinpoint differences, for instance. We also have a new project underway that we’ve been evaluating, involving complete field electrification as soon as the rig arrives, rather than only when the well starts up, which has significantly reduced Scopes 1 and 2 emissions throughout the drilling phase.

Tecpetrol exchanges best practices with its peers through the IAPG’s Emissions Commission, as well as with its sister companies from the Techint Group. How does that influence your strategy?

We’ve built a strong collaboration network not only with other operators through the Emissions Commission at the Argentine Oil and Gas Institute (IAPG) but also with the regulatory authorities in Neuquén. As a result, we are working closely together to standardize methodologies and develop new protocols for managing emissions inventories.

Within the Techint Group, we’ve had the opportunity to learn from our industrial peers, such as Ternium and Tenaris. They’re publicly listed, so they’ve developed KPIs and systems we’ve learned a lot from. Of course, their world is industrial, and ours is extractive—we can’t copy-paste what they do, but we are adapting what fits. It’s a cross-sector dialogue that helps align Tecpetrol with international disclosure standards such as GRI, SASB, and IPIECA, which are all clearly referenced in our Global Sustainability Report.

Vaca Muerta’s unconventional fields produce lower emissions intensity but face greater operational complexity. How do you balance the need for high-volume production and emissions control?

It’s abundantly clear that emissions are directly proportional to production. However, we can eliminate unnecessary operational emissions — such as those from leaks, vents, and flares — and other inefficiencies. It’s true that Argentina urgently needs development, but not at such a cost. We need to invest and train people to instill a new culture throughout the organization.

We’re constantly seeking best practices from around the world to help us improve our benchmarks, and we’ve integrated environmental and emissions considerations into the design stage of our new Central Processing Facility at Los Toldos II Este. Even minor design details, such as valve heights on compression lines or purge systems, are discussed in engineering meetings months in advance. It’s a new mindset. And since Techint E&C is building these facilities, we can assume that the design standards already incorporate international environmental considerations.

And we’re thinking out of the box in terms of how we transform burning gas into productive gas. One project we’re especially proud of is the Los Toldos II Este Flare Mitigation Project, which we developed in collaboration with Unblock in the Neuquén Basin. When new regulations required us to stop venting gas, we viewed it not as a constraint but as an opportunity to innovate. Instead of shutting in wells, we captured roughly 50,000 m³ per day of stranded gas and used it to power crypto-mining data centers. The result is about 12 megawatts of computing power and a reduction of nearly 100,000 tons of CO₂ per year. It demonstrates how compliance can foster creativity and how environmental responsibility can coexist with ongoing production.

Other reduction milestones we’ve achieved include introducing minor but effective procedures, such as limiting the desander purge to 13–15 seconds, which cuts fugitive emissions at zero cost.

Looking ahead, what are Tecpetrol’s long-term goals, and what is the company planning to do to stay on course?

This year marked the first time the emissions-reduction goal was formally set as a corporate objective. We’re aiming for a 5% reduction by 2028 in the Neuquén Basin. It’s a target that forms part of a multi-year roadmap linking operational projects to budgeting and progress tracking. By giving ourselves time, we can plan, allocate resources, and execute tasks properly.

Our roadmap includes major milestones such as a historical inventory review, planned for 2026, as well as the final selection of software to assist in automated reporting by 2027. This is because managing the emissions inventory data from Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, and Mexico is becoming increasingly challenging. Each piece of equipment counts as an emission source. We’re now working with international suppliers to identify the best software to automate these inventories and data management as part of a significant corporate project.

We’re doing many things simultaneously, building the culture, creating tools, and consolidating partnerships that will make emissions management an integral part of our daily work.