The US and Argentina’s Major Move for Global Infrastructure

The Andes-Atlantic Corridor brings together the US and Argentina in a joint initiative to modernise the rail, pipeline, port, power and digital networks, further strengthening the allyship between US President Donald Trump and Argentinian President Javier Milei.

It will link Argentina's mineral-rich northwest and Vaca Muerta energy basin to Atlantic ports and Western markets. 

Designated the first Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment corridor in the Western Hemisphere, it is designed to unlock large-scale investment.

It is also expected to expand opportunities for US companies and strengthen supply chains for critical minerals and energy, including lithium, copper, oil and gas.

Energy projects anchor the corridor

The Corridor's energy component centres on Vaca Muerta. Here, the Argentina liquefied natural gas (LNG) project led by state-controlled oil and gas company Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales (YPF), in partnership with petroleum giant Eni and ADNOC's international energy investment company XRG, represents an integrated liquefaction development valued at US$51bn.

The US Export-Import Bank has issued a non-binding indicative term sheet of up to US$6bn to support procurement of US goods and services for the project, including a contract awarded to engineering, procurement, fabrication and construction provider, McDermott, for a gas liquids fractionation and treatment facility. 

It also supports an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract worth more than US$1bn awarded to major energy infrastructure and pipeline construction contractor Pumpco, a MasTec subsidiary. 

Pumpco will work alongside construction and engineering-focused Bonatti and Contreras Hnos on the project's export pipeline system."This new step marks the formal inclusion of XRG into the project we have been developing together with Eni. These two world-class players allow us to position Argentina LNG as one of the leading LNG projects globally. We will now continue working very intensively to reach a final investment decision during the second half of 2026," says Horacio Marín, YPF President and CEO.

"With the Joint Development Agreement [ between YPF, Eni and XRG] a new partner – XRG – joins Argentina LNG, which is emerging as one of the most promising opportunities in the global gas landscape. This project is taking shape in a way that reflects both technological leadership and strategic vision," adds Guido Brusco, Eni's Chief Operating Officer for Global Natural Resources.

Elsewhere in the power sector, Argentina has launched an estimated US$800m high-voltage transmission concession for the Buenos Aires metropolitan area, backed by an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan guarantee, serving a region that accounts for nearly 60% of national power demand.

Transport and digital links expand

Transportation and connectivity form the second pillar of the Corridor, aimed at reducing bottlenecks for minerals, energy and agricultural exports moving toward Atlantic markets.

 Key projects include:

• Hidrovía Waterway: a 25-year concession awarded to Belgian-Argentine consortium Vía Navegable Troncal, expected to bring US$10bn in investment
• Freight rail: 50-year concessions tendered to rehabilitate the Belgrano, San Martín and Urquiza lines, cutting transport costs for lithium and copper projects
• ARSAT fibre-optic network: a modernisation concession supported by a US$49m IDB loan for its first phase
• Telecoms expansion: US-owned Metrotel's acquisition of six million telecommunications users in Argentina
• Future rail links planned from Vaca Muerta to Bahía Blanca and other Hidrovía ports

Financing tools underpin new investment

Much of the Corridor's momentum rests on US financing instruments from DFC, EXIM, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, together with commercial expertise from the Departments of Commerce, State, and Treasury, to prepare and advance infrastructure transactions to international standards. The US says it will exclude "non-market actors" and "incorporate trusted technology".

EXIM and Argentina have signed the US-Argentina Build the Future Framework, offering financing of up to US$7bn by 2027 for projects that expand infrastructure and productive capacity, alongside support from the DFC and the US Trade and Development Agency.

Argentina's Incentive Regime for Large Investments further supports the pipeline, offering long-term tax, trade and foreign-exchange benefits for large-scale projects in priority sectors, giving international contractors and financiers a clearer regulatory footing.

Key partners of the Argentina LNG project:

EXIM 

EXIM is the primary US financing agency underwriting energy and infrastructure procurement. 

The DFC 

The DFC provides complementary project finance alongside EXIM and private capital. 

YPF 

YPF is Argentina's state energy company leading the Argentina LNG development. 

Eni 

Eni is one of the international energy partners advancing that project alongside YPF.