Manfred Böckmann Now Heads Wintershall Dea Argentina
Change of leadership at Wintershall Energía (soon to be Wintershall Dea Argentina): Manfred Böckmann took over the position of Managing Director in Argentina on 1 May 2019. On 1 May 2019, the two German companies Wintershall Holding GmbH (Wintershall) and DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG (DEA) completed their international merger to form Wintershall Dea. The wholly owned subsidiary Wintershall Dea Argentina will be responsible for all previous Wintershall activities in the country. DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG was previously not active in Argentina.
Manfred Böckmann has been working for DEA, formerly RWE Dea, in various roles since 1997, and has extensive experience in the E&P sector – both nationally and internationally. Among others, the geophysicist was responsible as General Manager for the New Ventures division in North Africa, the Middle East and Latin America from 2009 to 2014. He has been Senior Vice President Exploration at DEA since 2014.
Böckmann takes over from Mariano Cancelo, Head of Joint Ventures & Austral Assets at Wintershall Energía, who has temporarily managed the business for the past months and is now returning to his former position.
As Europe's largest independent gas and oil producer, Wintershall Dea has been successfully active in Argentina for over 40 years. Here, the company produces hydrocarbons, in particular natural gas, and is the country's fourth-largest gas producer. Its activities are concentrated in the central Argentine provinces of Neuquén and Mendoza and in the south off the coast of Tierra del Fuego. The wholly owned subsidiary Wintershall Dea Argentina currently holds interests in a total of 15 gas and oil fields in Argentina and produces around 26 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe) per year.
Operator in the Vaca Muerta Formation
Wintershall Dea has been active in the conventional production of natural gas and crude oil in the province of Neuquén for more than 20 years and is familiar with the geology. Wintershall Dea has interests in the Aguada Federal, Bandurria Norte, Aguada Pichana Este and San Roque blocks. Wintershall Dea is applying this knowledge in developing the blocks in the attractive Vaca Muerta Formation. Shale gas or shale oil projects are currently being conducted in all blocks.
The exploration and production of unconventional reserves involves major technological challenges. Wintershall Dea has decades of experience in environmentally compatible, efficient production from complex reservoirs and, thanks to its special technological expertise, is ideally positioned to master these challenges.
About Wintershall Dea
With the merger of Wintershall Holding GmbH and DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG, two successful companies with a long tradition have formed Europe’s leading independent natural gas and oil company: Wintershall Dea. The company with German roots and headquarters in Kassel and Hamburg explores for and produces gas and oil in 13 countries worldwide in an efficient and responsible manner. With activities in Europe, Russia, Latin America and the MENA region (Middle East & North Africa), Wintershall Dea has a global upstream portfolio and, with its participation in natural gas transport, is also active in the midstream business.
Wintershall Dea stands for more than 120 years of experience as an operator and project partner along the entire E&P value chain. The company employs around 4,000 people worldwide from over 60 nations. The company plans to increase its average daily production from around 590,000 barrels of oil equivalent to a range of 750,000 to 800,000 barrels in the period between 2021 and 2023. In the medium term, an initial public offering of Wintershall Dea is envisaged.
