美国能源情报署(EIA)周五在一份报告中称，瓦卡穆尔塔页岩气田益增长的天然气产量最近帮助阿根廷出口了第一批液化天然气货物，并恢复了对邻国巴西和智利的天然气管道出口。

阿根廷在1990年至2007年间是天然气净出口国，但随着成熟油田天然气产量下降，该国在2008年成为天然气净进口国。

近年来，瓦卡穆尔塔组页岩气产量稳步上升，是该国天然气产量的主要贡献者。

由于瓦卡穆尔塔的天然气产量约占阿根廷天然气总产量的23%，阿根廷今年6月从海上浮式液化天然气装置(FLNG)Tango号发运了首批液化天然气。

根据EIA称, Tango FLNG拥有50万吨液化天然气(0.07亿立方英尺/天)的生产能力，预计每年最多可生产8批液化天然气出口货物。

然而，EIA指出，阿根廷的液化天然气出口增长将需要管道和陆上液化设施方面的投资或使用更多FLNG机组。

在2008年成为天然气净进口国之后，阿根廷全年都在进口管道和液化天然气。但由于天然气产量一直在增长，过去两年阿根廷只在较冷的月份(3月至10月)进口液化天然气。

EIA表示:“在气温较低的月份，阿根廷可能会继续进口液化天然气，直到建成更多的管道基础设施，将不断增长的页岩气产量输送到主要需求中心。”

伍德麦肯兹上月表示，阿根廷可能成为亚洲市场的主要液化天然气供应国，因为阿根廷在南半球夏季的液化天然气潜力达到顶峰，而北半球冬季的亚洲需求强劲。

瓦卡穆尔塔一直是美国以外页岩气生产领域为数不多的亮点之一，但它离复制美国页岩气革命还差得很远。如今，开发商正将注意力转向出口天然气和开采瓦卡穆尔塔地层的更多石油。

裘寅 编译自 今日原油价格

原文如下：

Rising Vaca Muerta Shale Output Makes Argentina LNG Exporter

Growing natural gas production from the Vaca Muerta shale play has recently helped Argentina to export its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo and to resume pipeline natural gas exports to its neighbors Brazil and Chile, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a report on Friday.

Argentina was a net exporter of natural gas between 1990 and 2007, but with declines in natural gas production from mature fields, the country became a net importer of natural gas in 2008.

The shale gas production from the Vaca Muerta formation has been steadily rising in recent years and has been the main contributor to the to the country’s natural gas production.

Thanks to Vaca Muerta’s output, which accounts for some 23 percent of Argentina’s total gross natural gas production, Argentina shipped in June its first LNG cargo from the offshore Tango floating liquefaction unit (FLNG).

According to the EIA, Tango FLNG has a production capacity of 500,000 metric tons (0.07 Bcf/d) of LNG and is expected to produce up to eight LNG-export cargoes annually.

However, Argentina’s LNG export growth will need investments in pipelines and onshore liquefaction facilities or the use of more FLNG units, the EIA noted.

After becoming a net natural gas importer in 2008, Argentina imported both pipeline and LNG throughout the year. But as natural gas production has been growing, in the past two years Argentina imported LNG only in the cooler months, March through October.

“Argentina will likely continue importing LNG during cooler months until additional pipeline infrastructure is built to deliver growing shale production to major demand centers,” the EIA said.

Argentina could become a major LNG supplier to Asian markets because Argentina’s peak LNG potential in the southern hemisphere’s summer coincides with strong demand in Asia in the northern hemisphere’s winter, Wood Mackenzie said last month.

Vaca Muerta has been one of the few bright spots in shale gas production outside the United States, but it hasn’t come even close to replicating the U.S. shale revolution. Now developers are turning their attention to exporting natural gas and to tapping more oil in the Vaca Muerta formation.