Villa Constitución terminal resumes operations with a focus on sand for Vaca Muerta

Terminal I at the Port of Villa Constitución, in Santa Fe, Argentina, was awarded to a Temporary Union of Companies (UTE) formed by Southern Silica S.R.L. and Esesa S.A. The facility had been inactive for nearly 70 years.

The award was formalized after Public Tender No. 1/2026 and brings back into the province’s productive system an area of more than 33,000 square meters located alongside the Trunk Navigable Waterway. The project provides for the recovery of existing structures and the installation of equipment to store, classify, and dispatch sand and aggregates.

Dredging works and permanent maintenance at the foot of the quay and in the water area are also planned. The purpose is to ensure depths compatible with navigation and allow the terminal to operate regularly.

The main cargo planned for the new operation is sand used in activities related to Vaca Muerta. According to information disclosed about the project, the port facility is expected to directly meet the demand for sand and aggregates generated by the development of the region.

The proposal includes estimated private investment of US$ 4.5 million to modernize the infrastructure and add operational technology. The operation is also expected to take advantage of Santa Fe’s connection with the Paraná River, its rail network, and public port infrastructure.

For the provincial government, the reactivation expands local logistics capacity and returns an idle port area to productive activities. The Port Authority of Villa Constitución also presented the resumption as an opportunity to create jobs in the region.