In 1977, the Loma La Lata x-1 well discovered gas and condensate in the Sierras Blancas Formation, with an initial flow rate of 325,000 cubic metres per day of gas and 84 cubic metres per day of condensate. Although the energy requirements of the time were not what they are today, the size of the accumulation made Loma La Lata the largest hydrocarbon find in Argentina's history, concentrating half of the country's gas reserves and being a turning point in Neuquén's economy.

Since its discovery, a strong policy began to change the consumption of gas in the national industry, reducing the incidence of liquid hydrocarbons. In 1982, the Central-West Gas Pipeline was built, supplying six provinces in the centre of the country, including Buenos Aires, with an extension of more than 1,600 kilometres, consolidating gas distribution in the most populated area of the country. Between 1997 and 2008, it represented more than 60% of Argentina's gas supply. In April 1996, the execution of the Mega Project was announced in Loma La Lata, which consisted of the construction of a plant for the separation of liquid gas components, a polyduct and a fractionation plant for ethane, propane, butane and gasoline. YPF, Dow Chemical and Petrobras were to have a joint shareholding in the project. This generated resistance from the Mapuche communities Kaxipayiñ and Paynemil, whose territories are included in the area, who in 2001 denounced environmental damage of more than 630,000 m³ of contaminated soil with high concentrations of chromium, lead, arsenic, naphthalene, pyrene and aromatic compounds in layers up to six metres deep. Numerous pickets, blockades and mobilisations took place in the province of Neuquén. The communities accuse the oil company of having mobilised unemployed people and trade unions, such as the Neuquén branch of the Construction Workers' Union (Unión Obrera de la Construcción) under promises of work and under threat of job cuts.

In 1997, Neuquén's Ombudswoman for Children and Adolescents, Nara Osés, denounced the provincial state for failing to guarantee a healthy environment and the health of the population. She obtained a favourable ruling from the Superior Court of Justice of Neuquén, but the inaction of the local government led the case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which accepted the complaint in 1998 and urged the province and Repsol-YPF to take concrete measures [Case No. 12.010].  In 1997, studies carried out by the provincial public health system confirmed the presence of heavy metals in the bodies of people living in communities exposed to soil, water and air pollution. Cases of cancer, pregnancy loss and malformations, skin, eye, digestive and nervous system disorders were reported in the area.

The case prompted the intervention of the Children's Ombudsman's Office, which initiated a defense action for the provincial authorities to guarantee the supply of drinking water, the health treatment essential for the recovery of those affected, and to exercise the relevant environmental control functions. The sentence, which obliged the government to build a water treatment plant and ensure the provision of water fit for consumption, was ratified in all judicial instances in the country and, given its non-compliance, the provincial executive was denounced before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights - case 12.01013.

Until September 2009, the Province supplied drinking water in jerry cans to the community members, and from that moment on, the start-up of the water purification plant that supplies the community was authorised. Meanwhile, in the Neuquén court, the case for environmental remediation is still open. Loma La Lata was for more than three decades the main hydrocarbon area in the country and is the place where the Vaca Muerta formation has begun to be drilled [1].  This project (today in the hands of YPF and Chevron, since Repsol was expropriated in favour of YPF) [2] is very large, in the order of more than 30 billion dollars.  In August 2013 there were demonstrations and violent clashes and injuries as a result of the approval of the agreement with Chevron by the Neuquen legislature [3-6].        The contract included legal mechanisms to release Chevron from any liability for potential socio-environmental problems, as well as to build a safe way to channel the capital injection [7].  According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), Argentina would have resources in shale formations of 27 (bb) and 802 (TCF), hosting the world's second largest gas resources and the fourth largest oil resources, located mainly in the Vaca Muerta formation. Today Loma Campana is one of the world's leading shale gas fields [8].      

Over time, the number of oil companies with a presence in the Vaca Muerta field increased. By 2023, there were 17, 12 operating in the field and five present only as partners in blocks owned by other companies. The 12 operating in the field are: YPF, PAE, Total Austral (a subsidiary of TotalEnergies), Tecpetrol, Shell, Vista, ExxonMobil, Pluspetrol, Pampa Energía, Capex, PRG and Chevron. The other five companies that do not operate directly are: Gas y Petróleo del Neuquén (GyP), Petronas, Equinor, Dow and Wintershall DEA [9].  As the oilfields were developed, negotiations between government institutions and indigenous peoples intensified: in 2022, the province of Neuquén came up with a proposal to consult Mapuche organisations in order to reduce the conflict with the oil companies and, above all, to obtain a formal pass for the construction of the Néstor Kirchner pipeline to transport gas from Vaca Muerta before the winter of 2023 [10]. However, in the autumn of 2022, the Mapuche people's protests and grievances intensified again, including through an incident involving the burning of machinery at an oil company [11-12].

The project has two phases. The initial one with Repsol, and the one with YPF-Chevron (from 2013) for gas fracking. Total production associated with the project is estimated at an equivalent of 794 million barrels of oil. The Loma de La Lata project has been operated by three companies. Since 1977, by YPF; from 1999-2013 by Repsol-YPF and from 2013 by the alliance of Chevron and YPF. Petrobras has also participated.

The evolution of the field, in terms of production, was significant and sustained from the early years until 2004. Since then, however, it has declined sharply. For example, in 1990 it reached a production of 24.5 million m3/day of gas, while in 2000, according to data from the National Energy Secretariat, production stood at 30 million m3/day. In 2004, and after the record highs recorded in 2002/2003, the official figure was around 36 million m3/day, while in 2008 it fell to 25 million m3/day. Operated by YPF, in 2013 Loma La Lata-Sierra Barrosa produced 3237 m3/day of oil and 15 million m3 of gas, according to data from the Energy Secretariat.

In Vaca Muerta, which encompasses Loma Campana and Loma la Lata, a much larger shale gas fracking project was proposed in 2013, once YPF regained ownership from Repsol and made an agreement with Chevron (sponsored by Cristina Kirschner's government). This deal ran into local opposition in 2013.

In 2015, Chevron opted to withdraw from other wells in Rio Negro and concentrate its activities in Vaca Muerta [13].

As of 2023, 17 companies are active in Vaca Muerta, of which 12 are operating directly and 5 are only associated with existing licences.