Vista Energy SAB de CV has let a 2-year drilling contract to Archer for work in the Vaca Muerta shale play in Argentina.

Under the agreement, Archer will deploy its AC drilling rig DLS-156 to support Vista’s development program in the region. The total contract value is estimated at $35-40 million over the full contract term, including the optional extension year.

Vista has an inventory of about 1,470 ready-to-drill locations in Vaca Muerta, and 486 net wells already drilled at the end of third quarter 2026. In July, Vista applied to include its Bandurria Norte shale oil development in Argentina’s Large Investment Incentive Regime (RIGI).

Bandurria Norte spans 26,500 acres in Vaca Muerta’s oil window and currently has no producing wells. Vista plans to drill and complete 332 horizontal wells and build dedicated infrastructure, including a 40,000-b/d oil treatment plant, a gas compression plant, gathering systems, pipelines, and associated infrastructure. The project would be Vista’s first large-scale development outside its core Bajada del Palo hub, where existing roads, processing capacity, and gathering networks support lower-cost drilling.