YPF is Argentina's largest integrated operator and the majority developer of Vaca Muerta's unconventional acreage. The company publicly discloses hundreds of horizontal wells per year across Loma Campana, La Amarga Chica, Bajada de Añelo and Aguada del Chañar. Each completion consumes high-purity API 19C frac sand — and logistics account for a material share of per-stage proppant cost. In-Basin Sand is positioned to supply that demand from 30 km away, not 1,400.
YPF's operated acreage in Neuquén concentrates in the North and Central zones of Vaca Muerta. Añelo is the primary logistics hub. Historically, frac sand has arrived by barge from Ibicuy (Entre Ríos) and truck from Río Negro. Both routes are distance-constrained. In-Basin Sand inverts the map: the silica deposit is inside the basin's trucking radius.
| Origin | Distance to Añelo | Freight cost driver |
|---|---|---|
| Malargüe (In-Basin Sand) | ~30 km | Local truck only |
| Río Negro suppliers | 200–400 km | Mid-haul trucking |
| Ibicuy (Entre Ríos) | ~1,400 km | Barge + long-haul truck |
YPF procurement and its frac service companies (Halliburton, SLB, and domestic specialists) work to API 19C and ISO 13503-2 standards. In-Basin Sand produces both +30/+70 and -70/+140 cuts under the same standards, validated through an SGS Minerals (Chile) attrition and granulometry report. Crush resistance, roundness and turbidity tests follow API RP 19C methodology.
Phase 1 reaches 15,000 t/month (500 t/day) at a 37+ year mine life horizon. That envelope can cover a dedicated multi-well pad program or act as a regional buffer to YPF's existing sand logistics chain.
North Zone operators — YPF, Chevron, Vista, Tecpetrol, Pan American — face concentration risk in proppant supply. A Malargüe-origin sand supplier diversifies YPF's freight-exposed basket. If rail or barge on the Ibicuy corridor is disrupted, a 30 km regional source is a direct risk hedge.
In-Basin Sand is open to take-or-pay, spot and FCA-plant commercial structures. All technical data, SGS reports and mine-life documentation are available under NDA through the data room at inbasinsand.com.
In-Basin Sand is running a €150,000 secured convertible bridge closing 29 April 2026. Public landing: https://inbasinsand.com