In brief
Since the introduction of fracking in 2014, the small Argentine town of Añelo has experienced dramatic growth in population and business, driven by oil and gas extraction from the Vaca Muerta formation. However, experts caution that while the local economy flourishes, the national challenges of high inflation and governance issues persist, questioning the overall benefit of this energy boom.
Mechanic Fabio Javier Jiménez found himself in the right place at the right time. When his father moved their family-owned tyre repair shop to the rural Argentine town of Añelo, it was a small, sleepy place, some 1,000km (600 miles) southwest of Buenos Aires. There was no mains water or gas, and the electricity supply was constantly being cut off. Then in 2014, fracking for oil and gas started in the surrounding region, and the conurbation boomed.Fuelled by its new-found energy wealth, Añelo's population soared from 10,788 in 2010 to 17,893 in 2022, an increase of more than 60%. In addition, Añelo sees some 15,000 workers enter the town each weekday, making the roads very busy, filled with oil tankers.The oil and gas from Vaca Muerta has given Argentina energy self-sufficiency, but despite this local improvement, national structural challenges remain, leading some experts to express skepticism about the sustainability of this growth.
