July 5 (Reuters) - Golar LNG said on Friday it

has partnered with Pan American Energy to deploy a floating

liquefied natural gas (FLNG) vessel for 20 years to export

domestic natural gas as LNG from Argentina.

Golar will hold a 10% stake in Southern Energy S.A., a joint

venture with Pan American, which will be responsible for

purchasing domestic natural gas, operations and sale of LNG

volumes from Argentina.

The project aims to tap into the Vaca Muerta shale formation

in the Neuquina Basin, the world's second-largest shale gas

resources, and begin LNG exports within 2027, Golar said in a

statement.

Energy companies from Argentina and Brazil began talks

earlier this year to address the regional fuel shortfall,

considering exporting gas from the Vaca Muerta shale formation

by reversing a network of Bolivian pipelines that has brought

gas south.

The project, which will use Golar's FLNG Hilli with a

capacity of 2.45 million tons per annum, is touted to be the

first phase of a potential multi-vessel project, with other

natural gas producers in Argentina expected to join, the

statement said.

LNG prices hit a record high in 2022 following Russia's

invasion of Ukraine, but have slumped to their lowest level in

nearly three years tracking weaker-than-expected demand due to a

mild winter and high stockpiles in the United States, Europe and

Japan.