Chevron Argentina operates at the heart of the Vaca Muerta North Zone — Loma Campana (50-50 JV with YPF), El Trapial and Loma de la Lata. Per publicly filed data, its blocks consume high volumes of API 19C-certified proppant each year. In-Basin Sand sits 30 km from Añelo, the operational gateway to Chevron's acreage, and delivers certified sand at a freight-corrected US$100/ton — versus US$140/ton from the Ibicuy fluvial corridor in Entre Ríos.
Chevron's Argentine hydraulic fracturing programs concentrate in Neuquén province. The nearest rail-connected silica source historically used by the basin is Ibicuy (Entre Ríos), approximately 1,400 km from Añelo by road. That distance adds roughly US$135/ton of trucked freight. In-Basin Sand, based in Malargüe, Mendoza, stands 30 km from the basin — a logistics shift that reshapes per-well proppant economics.
| Source | Distance to Añelo | Delivered cost |
|---|---|---|
| In-Basin Sand (Malargüe) | ~30 km | ~US$100/ton (target) |
| Ibicuy (Entre Ríos) | ~1,400 km | US$140/ton |
| Río Negro suppliers | 200–400 km | US$90–120/ton |
Both mesh cuts delivered by In-Basin Sand — +30/+70 and -70/+140 — are certified under API 19C and ISO 13503-2, the two international standards referenced by the major Vaca Muerta operators in their service-company frac designs. The site produces from a Malargüe silica deposit with independently validated reserves (6M+ t indicated / 60M+ t inferred) and is backed by an SGS Minerals (Chile) attrition and granulometry report.
In-Basin Sand's Argentine operating team submitted a take-or-pay proposal to Chevron's procurement function in 2023 for 10,000 t/month at diesel-indexed pricing. The plant was subsequently idle for 18 months. No contract was signed. Under a current NDA, the commercial team is re-engaging on updated specs and logistics pricing for the 2026–2027 well program.
North Zone operators like Chevron, YPF and Vista publicly disclose completion activity in the Argentine Oil Secretariat reports. A switch from long-haul Entre Ríos freight to regional Malargüe origin sand reduces trucked kilometres by roughly 97%, which in turn reduces Scope 3 freight emissions, highway wear and stage-to-stage well completion variability. The sand itself meets identical API 19C crush and roundness thresholds — the differentiator is the kilometres between pit and wellhead.
Phase 1 reaches 15,000 t/month at full capacity, with 500 t/day throughput and a 37+ year mine life at that rate. That output envelope is consistent with single-operator supply for a mid-scale multi-pad program in the Loma Campana / El Trapial corridor.
In-Basin Sand is running a €150,000 secured convertible bridge closing 29 April 2026. Public landing: https://inbasinsand.com