Línea Base Ambiental: Retos y Oportunidades para el Sector Hidrocarburos 

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Los estudios de Línea Base Ambiental (LBA) son estudios de tipo técnico especializados que son requeridos por la Agencia de Seguridad, Energía y Ambiente(ASEA) de la Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT) a los regulados del Sector Hidrocarburos para: determinar las condiciones ambientales en las que se encuentran los componentes ambientales de las áreas contractuales, así como la identificación y registro de daños preexistentes y daños ambientales.

La LBA es también un insumo importante para la elaboración de las Manifestaciones de Impacto Ambiental, a efecto de cumplir con lo dispuesto en el contrato celebrado entre la Comisión Nacional de Hidrocarburos (CNH) y los Regulados. Los objetivos principales para la realización de los estudios de LBA son:

  • Identificar y describir la infraestructura existente en el área contractual y su estado actual físico y operacional para identificar y evaluar los daños ambientales que hayan sido generados por esta, para el deslinde de responsabilidades.
  • Identificar y evaluar las condiciones ambientales en que se encuentran los ecosistemas y recursos naturales, existentes en el área contractual y zona de influencia, previo a la ejecución de las actividades del contrato.
  • Evaluar los daños y pasivos ambientales ocasionados por las actividades humanas o procesos naturales en la zona contractual y de influencia a efecto de deslindarse de las responsabilidades

En el artículo 27, párrafo séptimo de la Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, se establece que las actividades de exploración y extracción del petróleo y demás hidrocarburos se realizarán mediante asignaciones a empresas productivas del Estado o a través de contratos con éstas o con particulares, por lo que la presentación de la LBA ante la ASEA se traduce en una obligación para estas entidades.

Para orientar la elaboración de los estudios de LBA la autoridad a puesto a disposición de los regulados dos guias: a) “Guía para la elaboración y presentación de la Línea Base Ambiental previo al inicio de las actividades de Exploración y Extracción de Hidrocarburos en Áreas Terrestres” y b) la “Guía para la elaboración y presentación de la línea base ambiental previo al inicio de las actividades marinas de exploración y extracción de hidrocarburos en aguas someras”.

Es sumamente importante para los regulados que pretenden el aprovechamiento de zonas contractuales, el identificar, evaluar y detallar de manera precisa los daños ambientales preexistentes a través de los estudios de LBA, ya que solo podrán eximir su responsabilidad ambiental respecto a dichos daños, siempre y cuando hayan sido registrados y manifestados en dichos estudios.

Considernado la relevancia que tienen los estudios de LBA para los regulados, en cuanto al deslinde de los pasivos ambientales y sociales preexistentes de las áreas contractuales, es fundamental que dimensionen la necesidad de que la elaboración de la LBA debe ser realizada por empresas o plataformas técnico-científicas de especialistas calificados y con capacidad demostrada para la realización de este tipo de estudios. El deslindarse de dichos pasivos a través de buenos estudios de LBA y no asumir ningun riesgo financiero, social, legal y ambiental, es uno se los mejores seguros para sostener la viabilidad de sus inversiones y no comprometer su reputación como empresa y regulado ante la eventualidad de que se generen contingencias ambientales.

Un buen estudio de LBA debe sustentar además, las bases para el diseño e implementación de los Sistemas de Manejo y Gestión Ambiental y Social (SMGAS) para la prevención, manejo, mitigación y monitoreo de impactos ambientales y sociales durante las fases de preparación, construcción, operación y mantenimiento de los proyectos o de las áreas contractuales que deberán ser establecidos en las manifestaciones de impacto ambiental, estudios del cambio de uso del suelo de terrenos forestales, evaluaciones de impacto social y estudios de riesgo ambiental que correspondan. El proceso de elaboración y evaluación de los estudios de LBA se presenta en la siguiente figura:

 

 

Con más de 20 años de experiencia, cobertura internacional y fuerte compromiso con la sustentabilidad, la innovación y la calidad de nuestros servicios en el sector hidrocarburos, energía, turismo, desarrollo urbano,  infraestructura, medio ambiente y minería; GPPA y nuestros socios estratégicos NRGI Brokers y Rodríguez Dávalos Abogados, asi como especialistas de diferentes institutos y centros de investigación, hemos conformado una plataforma técnico-cientifica de expertos nacionales e internacionales con la mayor capacidad en el país para ofrecer soluciones integrales y con valor agregado a los regulados del sector hidrocarburos, para resolver sus necesidades en materia de planeación, manejo, gestión ambiental y legal, desarrollo sostenible, fianzas y seguros de responsabilidad ambiental,  incluyendo la elaboración de estudios de LBA, Evaluación de Impacto Ambiental, Evaluación de Impacto Social, entre otros productos y servicios.

 

Para mayor información y cualquier duda o necesidad derivada de la información presentada en el presente boletín, estamos a su disposición a través de:

Consultores en Gestión Política y Planificación Ambiental, S.C.

David Zárate Lomelí

Director General

Teléfono: (998) 6 88 08 75

E-mail: dzarate@gppa.com.mx

www.gppa.com.mx

Is Mexico Set To Boost Oil Output?

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Oil Price / By The Dialogue / August 16

 

On July 27, Mexican president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador said his government will earmark more than $9 billion for state-run energy companies next year and start working on a new oil refinery in southern Mexico. The moves seek to reduce reliance on fuel imports from the United States while boosting the country’s oil production, which has significantly fallen off in recent years. López Obrador did not say how he would fund his proposals, an omission that worries analysts concerned about Pemex’s already heavy debt burden. He also announced Octavio Romero Oropeza as the incoming head of Pemex. Will the promised investment help accelerate Pemex’s oil and gas production? What else is needed to boost output? How well prepared is Romero Oropeza to lead Pemex, and what should his priorities be? Four Mexican energy experts weighed in with their opinions on these developments.

George Baker, publisher of Mexico Energy Intelligence in Houston: The 116-page energy sector document that the Morena transition team issued on July 10 sports both good and bad ideas. First, among the good ideas, is advocating independent unions in the oil sector (the first time since 1935 that a political party has done this). Second is suspending until further review the so-called farm-outs of Pemex—the idea that civil servants (Pemex employees) and market-disciplined managers of oil companies can have a joint venture based on sharing risk and reward only makes sense on paper. Third is promoting the concept of intelligent cities, including low energy consumption, renewable energy and intelligent grids. A fourth good idea is expanding the grid of natural gas pipelines and the use of renewable energy sources and cogeneration. Among the bad ideas: first is reactivating the refinery project in Tula and analyzing the construction of another refinery in the Gulf of Mexico. Pemex refinery upgrades have gone badly for the past 20 years, notably in Cadereyta, Villahermosa and Tula. A new refinery could take three years just for design and another three for contracting and financing. López Obrador would likely leave office before the first shovelful of earth was turned for the new refinery. Second is the upgrade of the role of Pemex in the energy space. The Morena team proposes to eliminate the so-called ‘asymmetrical regulations’ that restrict Pemex to compete effectively—to aspire to ‘make Pemex great again’ as a state agency is to ignore global success stories of state oil companies with mixed-equity structures, market financing and professional management. Finally, a third bad idea is to overstate (and obfuscate) the potential for change via public policy: there is nothing that is actionable in statements such as ‘the necessary investments in Pemex should be made,’ or ‘efforts to increase exploration and production of natural gas should be made to favor the petrochemical industry,’ or ‘deepen and coordinate all efforts to eliminate the black market in petroleum products.’ Notably, one word that does not appear in the text is ‘corruption,’ an unexpected omission by a candidate that vowed to end corruption by example. Finally, former Pemex director general Adrián Lajous recently calculated the average tenure of a director general as two years and four months. Pemex, legally configured as an agency of the federal government, always has a dozen cooks in its kitchen of corporate governance. If a director general had the authority to order early retirement for 35,000 Pemex unionized workers, there would be opportunities for leadership.

David Shields, independent energy consultant based in Mexico City: In a previous comment for the Energy Advisor on June 15, I mentioned that President-elect López Obrador’s energy team has excellent, progressive plans in renewable energy. Sadly, the same does not apply to conventional energy. The naming of Octavio Romero and Manuel Bartlett to head state-run Pemex and the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) has been severely criticized because of their hardline political, ideological, non-technical, non-business nature. They may be okay for rooting out corruption, but they add to fears that recent energy reforms may be rolled back, even if they and López Obrador himself deny legal amendments will be made. Congress will ultimately decide on this, and the outlook there is bad. Reforms can be reversed in practice, anyway, just through day-to-day opposition. López Obrador says he will push oil output up sharply to 2.5 million barrels per day, but reserves and reservoirs are largely depleted, there are no new discoveries, and there is not enough money for a vast exploration effort. Foreign operators will need several years to develop their projects. His best bet for ramping up output quickly would be fracking, but he promises to prohibit that, thinking that environmental risks will be greater than the benefits. His refining plans are unrealistic, too. López Obrador´s native Tabasco State offers the wrong site and the wrong logistics for a large-scale refinery to be built in just three years. Such a project normally requires two years to study, plan and tender, then another five or six years to build. Even then, it can hardly be profitable if Mexico produces and processes only very heavy crude. Intentions to rescue Pemex and reduce reliance on energy imports are good, but the prospects are not.

 

Oil Price / By The Dialogue / August 16

 

Shell company to open its first gas station this year in Mexico

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By Roberto Noguez Noguez

Mexico, May 18 (Notimex) .

“The Anglo-Dutch Shell will open its first service stations in Mexico this year with the goal of being one of the three most important players in the sector, and not rule out in the future participation in development Of infrastructure.”

“Downstream director of the company, Andrés Cavallari, said in an interview with Notimex that the country was always in its aspiration, but there was an inability to operate, but almost a year and a half ago they started working on it.”

“”Mexico is a very important market in the gasoline business, it is the fifth largest consumer in the world and it is a market that grows year after year and it will continue in the coming decades,” he said.”

“According to the manager, they expect to open stations this year, in the downtown area, with the aim of having a relevant presence in the Mexican market under the scheme of own stations and franchises.”

“He stressed that they are a company that “is always on the podium”, so they will seek to be a relevant player with a long-term view, to be the “top three” among players, as in other parts of the world.”

“Regarding the origin of the molecule that they will sell in their stations, he explained that in the beginning they will buy it from Pemex and add an additive to offer their product V-Power.”

“”In the short term, the plan is to buy fuel in the local market and add additives, since the gasolines of the country are very good, because the Mexican Standard is very strict,” said Cavallari.”

“The manager of Shell Mexico commented that they will participate in the open seasons to have capacity of transport in the infrastructure.”

“”In the medium term, when we have access to part of the existing infrastructure in the open seasons or in the future we will participate in infrastructure development, which is what the country needs at this moment, we will be able to bring our own molecule,” he stressed.”

“He added that one of their offers is to provide the best experience, with the best quality gasoline and point of sale service, fast transactions, and consumer loyalty programs.”

NTX/RNN/NMR/DVMC
FROM: http://www.notimex.gob.mx/ntxnotaLibre/353544

Iran’s Oil Minister to Join OPEC Talks on Market in Algeria

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Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh will join an informal meeting of OPEC members next month in Algiers, a state news service reported, ending uncertainty about whether OPEC’s third-biggest producer would participate.

Producers from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will meet on the sidelines of an energy policy group in the Algerian capital next month to consider conditions in the oil market, OPEC’s president, Qatar’s minister Mohammed Al Sada, said on Aug. 8. Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest exporter, is working “to restore balance between supply and demand to support oil prices,” and OPEC and non-members will discuss potential steps in Algiers to stabilize markets, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said on Aug. 13.

“I will participate in this meeting,” Iran’s Zanganeh was cited as saying by the oil ministry’s news service Shana. Zanganeh had not previously committed to attending the meeting, and he didn’t comment on the position Iran will take at the talks. Zanganeh also said he will meet with OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo “in the near future.”

Price Gains

Crude oil has gained about 11 percent since OPEC said it would meet informally to discuss prices and supply, on speculation that the group could agree to freeze output levels. Benchmark Brent crude was trading near $49 a barrel on Thursday in London.

A meeting of OPEC and other producing countries in April ended without agreement in Doha when Saudi Arabia demanded that Iran be part of the any deal to limit output. Iran had ruled out a ceiling on its production until it recovered the output levels it had before the U.S. and European Union tightened international sanctions on its oil industry in 2012.

Iran’s production has risen to 3.85 million barrels a day since sanctions were eased in January, Zanganeh said this month, still less than its target for the end of this year of 4 million barrels a day. OPEC as a whole has boosted output to record levels since adopting a Saudi-led decision in 2014 to protect the group’s global market share by forcing out higher-cost producers.

The International Energy Forum, comprising 73 countries that account for about 90 percent of the global supply and demand for oil and natural gas, will meet in Algiers on Sept. 26-28.

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Copyright: Rig Zone

Mexico Energy Regulator Names Firms Qualified For Deepwater Tender

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Mexico’s energy regulator said on Wednesday that 26 companies had qualified to participate in the country’s deep-water oil tender in December, the jewel in the crown of a landmark energy sector opening.

Of the 26 companies that have qualified for the so-called Round 1.4 tender, 16 are operators, including state-owned oil giant Pemex, and 10 are financial partners, the National Hydrocarbons Commission (CNH) said on Twitter.

Any consortia that form will be revealed on Nov. 28, the CNH said.

Below is the list of companies that have qualified:

  • Atlantic Rim Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V.

  • BHP Billiton Petroleo Operaciones de Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V.

  • BP Exploration Mexico, S.A. de C.V.

  • Chevron Energia de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V.

  • China Offshore Oil Corporation E&P Mexico, S.A.P.I. de C.V.

  • Eni Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V.

  • ExxonMobil Exploracion y Produccion México S. de R.L. de C.V.

  • Galp Energia E&P BBV.

  • Hess Mexico Oil and Gas, S. de R.L. de C.V.

  • Inpex Corporation

  • Lukoil International Upstream Holding B.V.

  • Mitsubishi Corporation

  • Mitsui & Co. Ltd

  • Murphy Sur S. de R.L. de C.V.

  • NBL Mexico, INC

  • ONGC Videsh Limited

  • PC Carigali Mexico Operations, S.A. de C.V.

  • Petro-Canada (International) Holdings B.V.

  • Petroleo Brasileiro Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V.

  • Petroleos Mexicanos

  • Repsol Exploracion Mexico, S.A. de C.V.

  • Ophir Mexico Holdings Limited

  • Shell Exploracion y Extraccion de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.

  • Sierra O&G Exploracion y Produccion, S. de R.L. de C.V.

  • Statoil E&P Mexico, S.A. de C.V.

  • Total E&P Mexico, S.A. de C.V.

Copyright: Rig Zone

Oil Trades Near $45 as Canada Wildfires Temper Global Surplus

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Crude traded near $45 a barrel as Canadian wildfires knocked out about 1 million barrels a day of production, outweighing the new Saudi Arabian oil minister’s pledge to maintain the country’s policy of near-record output.

Futures were little changed after increasing as much as 2.9 percent in New York and 2.5 percent in London. The blaze has led to cuts equivalent to about 40 percent of Canada’s oil-sands production, based on IHS Energy estimates. Ali al-Naimi will be succeeded by Saudi Arabian Oil Co. Chairman Khalid Al-Falih, an ally of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has backed the nation’s policy of prioritizing market share over prices and insisted any output freeze must involve Iran.

Oil has rebounded after slumping to the lowest level since 2003 earlier this year amid signs the global oversupply will ease as U.S. output declines. While American production has dropped, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries has boosted supply to more than 33 million barrels a day, underpinned by gains from Iran and Iraq.

“As the dust settles I think we will find it’s business as usual in Saudi Arabia, as Al-Falih is not going to step away from the mantra of market share over price,” said Ole Sloth Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank A/S in Copenhagen. “Canada has obviously overshadowed this event in the short term, considering the amount of oil being forced to stay below ground.”

West Texas Intermediate for June delivery gained as much as $1.28 to $45.94 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $44.73 at 1:42 p.m. London time. The contract advanced 34 cents to close at $44.66 on Friday. Total volume traded was 77 percent above the 100-day average.

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Font: Bloomberg

OTC 2016: Mexico Seeks to Enhance Energy Sector Accountability

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Mexico has submitted a formal request to join the International Energy Agency and is preparing to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in 2018 to enhance its energy sector’s transparency and accountability, a Mexican official told attendees at the Offshore Technology Conference Tuesday in Houston.

Lourdes Melgar, Mexico’s deputy secretary of energy, said the decisions to join IEA and EITI are intended to ensure the transparency and accountability of Mexico’s energy sector.

EITI is a global standard to promote open and accountable management of natural resources. According to EITI’s website, countries that implement the EITI disclose information on tax payments, licenses, contracts, production and other key elements around resource extraction. To date, 30 contracts have been awarded through the three exploration and production bidding rounds held so far. The fourth bidding round, which will offer deepwater acreage, will take place on Dec. 5 of this year. Melgar said that an updated version of the contract for deepwater bidding will be released on May 15.

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Copyright: Rigzone