The southern country is reducing its energy import needs due to increased production in the Vaca Muerta formation.

Argentina will launch a bidding process next week for five to six liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers to meet demand during the upcoming Southern Hemisphere winter, an official source said Thursday.

"Work is underway to launch the bidding process on March 17 for five or six shipments. The plan is to receive bids the week of March 25," he explained.

Argentina is reducing its energy import needs due to increased production from the Vaca Muerta formation, the world's second-largest unconventional gas reserve and fourth-largest oil reserve, which is reaching a new monthly record.

In 2024, the country recorded its largest energy trade surplus in 18 years, reaching US$5.668 billion, after years of trade deficits that strained the southern nation's public finances.

Argentina's first tender in 2024 resulted in the import of 10 vessels, out of a total of 30 that year.

The number of LNG shipments "is going to be less than last year because there will be more natural gas availability, assuming comparable weather," Daniel González, secretary of Energy and Mining Coordination, told reporters on Wednesday in Houston, where he is participating in the CERAWeek conference.