French player Total has budgeted $1.1 billion and Germal outfit Wintershall $1 billion, according to exploration plans filed with the recently-formed national Strategic Hydrocarbons Planning commission, according to Argentina’s presidential office.

The investments intend to increase production by a 12 million cubic metres per day by 2017.

Details were not specified, but the government said the programmes would involve increasing gas injection by 3.1%