Argentina's state-controlled energy company YPF is close to signing two or three LNG sales agreements, each covering 0.5 million to 1.5 million tonnes per year, for its planned $24 billion Vaca Muerta LNG project. CEO Horacio Marín stated at the Gastech conference that YPF aims to secure these agreements before partners, including Italy's Eni and Abu Dhabi's XRG, make a final investment decision in November. The project is designed to turn the Vaca Muerta shale formation into a major LNG source, with an initial capacity of 12 million tonnes per year, expandable to 18 million.