22.

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Waste sector:

There are, to date, certain policies, measures, and specific barriers identified by Argentina in the PNAyMCC aimed at producing energy from biogas generated at sanitary landfills.

 

 

First, this measure consists of installing pilot plants to produce energy from biogas generated by the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) disposed of by residents in sanitary landfills, and of installing plants that capture and valorize the biogas generated in sanitary landfills or wastewater treatment plants.

 

 

Its objective is to demonstrate that plants and systems for generating and utilizing biogas from organic municipal solid waste—such as sanitary landfills and biodigesters—are sustainable from the technical, environmental, institutional, and financial–economic standpoints, so they can be incorporated into integrated municipal solid waste (MSW) management projects under implementation and, in this way, be properly operated by municipalities.

 

 

As of 2023, 10 biogas pilot power plants were in operation, and there is a roadmap to continue developing projects at the 55 identified sanitary landfills. By 2027, the goal is to have 6 sanitary landfills operating under the GIRSU project.

 

Biogas Program: UNDP ARG/16/G23

The Biogas Program is itself a policy-implementation instrument, as it seeks not only to generate impact through direct investment but also by producing replicable models. It includes lines for financing pilot plants and for incorporating biogas systems into MSW treatment plants, as well as for conducting studies.

 

 

Regarding the program’s effectiveness and monitoring, we recommend consulting the National Audit Office (AGN) audit report titled: “PROMOCIÓN DE LA GENERACIÓN DE BIOGÁS A PARTIR DE RSU (GEF-PNUD ARG 16/G23).”

 

 

  • National Audit Office. (2024). Environmental Management Report: Promotion of Biogas Generation from MSW (GEF-UNDP ARG 16/G23) (Proceeding No. 128/2023). Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. Approved by Resolution No. 78/2024.

  • Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Argentine Republic. (2022). National Plan for Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change.

 

 

 

 

Energy sector

Regarding methane emissions from the energy sector, although a national PPMP Law on Methane Mitigation in the Energy Sector has not yet been approved, several southern provinces have moved ahead—either with a specific methane regulation (as in Chubut) or with rules on GHG emissions reporting more generally: Neuquén, Mendoza, and Río Negro between 2024 and 2025.

 

 

  • Chubut: Resolution 58/24 established objectives and guidelines for detecting, controlling, monitoring, quantifying, and reducing methane emissions from hydrocarbon exploration, production, and transport activities.

  • Mendoza: Decree No. 758/2025 created the Provincial Integrated Greenhouse Gas Emissions Program under Provincial Climate Change Law No. 9,585. The Provincial Greenhouse Gas Emissions Registry was created by Resolution No. 1/2025.

  • Neuquén: Through Resolution 285/2025—published in the Official Gazette of Neuquén on April 1, 2025—the Provincial Secretariat of Environment created the Program for Monitoring and Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Hydrocarbon Sector.

  • Río Negro: Resolution No. 535/2023 — Secretariat of Environment and Climate Change — Provincial Climate Change Response Plan 2022–2030; and Law No. 5733 (July 19, 2024), applicable to oil companies that extend their concessions in the province. It requires a commitment to medium-term facility upgrades and the implementation of measures to progressively reduce GHG emissions, as well as the incorporation of CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage) technologies.

 

 

 

At the national level, Resolution No. 970/23 issued by the Secretariat of Energy in November 2023 created the “National Program for the Measurement and Reduction of Fugitive Emissions from Hydrocarbon Exploration and Production Activities.” It has not yet been regulated.