Alberto Weretilneck announced that he will send a bill to the Legislature to create the Fondo Soberano de Río Negro. The initiative aims to reserve a part of the extraordinary income derived from oil, gas, and mining for future generations. The governor made the announcement before more than 600 participants of the I Forum of Rionegrino Youths in Bariloche.
The president indicated that the text will be sent within a month and expressed his intention to obtain approval before the end of the year. The fund would be funded by a portion of the royalties and agreements associated with large energy projects. He mentioned the export of crude by Punta Colorada through Vaca Muerta Oil Sur and the liquefied natural gas initiatives on the provincial coast.
Weretilneck proposed avoiding the allocation of all non-renewable resources to current spending. His goal is to accumulate capital over 10 to 15 years and subsequently use it for infrastructure, investments, and new economic activities. The idea aims to transform a temporary income, linked to the extraction of exhaustible resources, into an asset capable of sustaining policies beyond a government term.
As a reference, the governor mentioned the funds managed by Norway and oil-producing countries. These models combine savings, financial investment, and long-term rules, but they operate under different institutional frameworks. The comparison expresses the general purpose of the announcement and does not guarantee that the Rio Negro instrument will replicate its scale, performance, transparency, or protection against cyclical decisions.
The project has not yet been presented and it is not known what percentage of the royalties would be reserved. The managing authority, the investment policy, the withdrawal conditions, the audit regime, the risk limits, or the public access to information mechanisms have also not been reported. These elements will be decisive in evaluating the strength and independence of the fund.
The legislative discussion should balance intergenerational savings, current infrastructure needs, and fiscal predictability. It will also have to define how revenues from projects that are still in development are incorporated and what happens if revenue turns out to be lower than expected. For now, there is an announcement with a submission deadline, not a current law nor resources actually separated from the provincial budget.
