July 5 (Reuters) - Golar LNG said on Friday it has partnered with Pan American Energy to deploy a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) vessel for 20 years to export domestic natural gas as LNG from Argentina.
Golar will hold a 10% stake in Southern Energy S.A., a joint venture with Pan American, which will be responsible for purchasing domestic natural gas, operations and sale of LNG volumes from Argentina.
The project aims to tap into the Vaca Muerta shale formation in the Neuquina Basin, the world's second-largest shale gas resources, and begin LNG exports within 2027, Golar said in a statement.
Energy companies from Argentina and Brazil began talks earlier this year to address the regional fuel shortfall, considering exporting gas from the Vaca Muerta shale formation by reversing a network of Bolivian pipelines that has brought gas south.
The project, which will use Golar's FLNG Hilli with a capacity of 2.45 million tons per annum, is touted to be the first phase of a potential multi-vessel project, with other natural gas producers in Argentina expected to join, the statement said.
LNG prices hit a record high in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but have slumped to their lowest level in nearly three years tracking weaker-than-expected demand due to a mild winter and high stockpiles in the United States, Europe and Japan.
(Reporting by Seher Dareen in Bengaluru)