YCF, acronym for Yacimientos CarbonÃÂferos Fiscales (Spanish for Fiscal Coal Fields), was an Argentine state-owned company dedicated to exploiting coal deposits in the Argentine mainland, mainly the field near to Rio Turbio.
The company was succeeded in 1994 by Yacimientos CarbonÃÂferos RÃÂo Turbio.
The company was founded in 1958 and existed until 1994, when it was privatised and renamed as Yacimientos CarbonÃÂferos RÃÂo Turbio S.A.
Prior to the creation of YCF, Argentina used to import coal. This became a problem during World War II, when a severe shortage caused problems to such key sectors as industry and transport. Production peaked in 1972 when it reached 570,000 tons.
The coal was mined in Rio Turbio and transported to the port city of Rio Gallegos using the Rio Turbio Railway.