Tag Archive for: Mexico}s energy reform

Energy Reform Could Generate $1T in Foreign Investment for Mexico by 2040

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FROM:  Natural Gas Intelligence / Ronald Buchanan / 19 de marzo de 2018

 

Mexico’s energy reform could generate $1 trillion of direct foreign investment by 2040, said leaders of the industry lobby, Mexican Association of Hydrocarbon Companies, earlier this month.

The association, known by its Spanish acronym Amexhi, was presenting its Agenda 2040, a huge volume that reviews the industry’s past, from its origins at the beginning of last century; the present, including current uncertainties; and a future through 2040 that would “transform Mexico.”

Amexhi President Alberto de la Fuente admitted that the investment goal is ambitious.

The Agenda presupposes that power and hydrocarbons would account for  4% of gross domestic product by the target date. And, de la Fuente emphasized, it would require accurate instrumentation of the reform’s precepts, “as well as the resolution of challenges that are a legacy of the previous model.”

The defense of the Agenda would require four watchwords, he added: “Steadfastness, competence, transparency and knowledge.”

Amexhi has taken pains to remain neutral during the current campaigns for Mexico’s July 1 presidential election.

“All the candidates have shown interesting elements in their policy statements,” said Enrique Hidalgo, president of ExxonMobil Exploracion y Produccion Mexico, and the coordinator of Agenda 2040.

Some of the industry group’s sympathizers, however, have claimed that the pronouncements of the current leader in the race, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who helms the left wing nationalist Morena party, has been less than steadfast in support of the reform. They also claim that his proposal for new refineries show a lack of understanding of the industry.

At the moment, the No. 2 in the race is Ricardo Anaya, leader of the National Action Party, the traditionally pro-business PAN. But Anaya has yet to issue any policy statements on energy.

Anaya also has embraced policies of left-wingers with whom he has formed an alliance. With them, he signed a statement of “No to the gasolinazo” — the liberation of gasoline prices.

Running third in the opinion polls is senior technocrat Jose Antonio Meade of the incumbent Institutional Revolutionary Party, the PRI. Meade was hand-picked by President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Meade’s loyalty to the energy reform has not been questioned. However, his loyalty to Peña Nieto has so far placed a political millstone around his neck. Pena Nieto is said to be the most unpopular Mexican president since political opinion polls were first published in the nation late in the 20th century as its democratic era began to dawn.

The democratic dawn has begun late for the former state monopolies of oil and natural gas, Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) and power, Comision Federal de Electricidad, the CFE.

Neither is free to set a budget, as Congress and the Finance ministry keep a tight grip on their spending. The Pemex and CFE unions, particularly that of Pemex, have corporate powers that go well beyond the defense of the interests of the workers in terms of pay and conditions.

The challenge are considerable, said senior analyst Arturo Carranza of Mexico’s National Institute of Public Administration. But, he added, the rewards are realistic.

Agenda 2040 proposes 15 bid rounds to lease oil and gas acreage. Since the 2013-14 reform was enacted, there have been two rounds featuring eight separate completed lease auctions. Three auctions are currently underway for the third round.

“But the pace has been stepped up and it can be pushed further,” Carranza said. “The country’s potential is beyond question for the industry. And the government has to do its part by identifying opportunities that the companies can grasp. In return, it can reap the benefits, such as royalties, on behalf of the nation.

“At the same time, the government has to cast off the restrictions on the budgets of Pemex and the CFE,” he added.

De la Fuente said at the presentation that about 80% of the nation’s oilfields are currently in decline, “but the best tool that’s available to revert the trend is the energy reform.”

 

 

FROM:  Natural Gas Intelligence / Ronald Buchanan / 19 de marzo de 2018

Mexico Energy Reform Slowdown Would Be ‘A Shame,’ Pemex CEO Says

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FROM: Bloomberg / Adam Williams / 7 de marzo de 2018

Mexico’s 2013 decision to end the government monopoly on energy has resulted in billions in investment and the arrival of dozens of international oil companies.

Carlos Trevino, Petroleos Mexicanos’s new chief executive officer, thinks it would be unfortunate for that to be interrupted by the next administration.

The top concern of Trevino, who took over at Pemex in November, is that Mexico will elect a president in July that will “slow down the energy reform pace,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg Television at the CERAWeek by IHS Markit event in Houston.

“Someone who doesn’t believe in the energy reform may reduce the speed very much and I think that would be a shame in Mexico,” Trevino said. “The energy reform has a lot of benefits to the country, to the people, so the the worst case scenario in my point of view is that the speed that we are implementing the energy reform will be reduced.”

Trevino’s concern matches that of many energy industry leaders in Mexico, which has signed more than 90 oil and gas production contracts with international majors such as Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. since a landmark 2015 crude auction. Presidential front-runner Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who leads polls ahead of the July 1 election, has vowed that his administration will slow the pace of the current oil auctions and review contracts signed by the current government.

A reversal or significant modification to the overhaul would be “almost impossible because to change the energy reform you will need to change the constitution,” Trevino said. It would require a majority in Mexico’s upper and lower houses and it “is really difficult for any president to have that amount” of support.

“It is possible but improbable,” Trevino said. “We have a lot of certainty on what is going to happen in the future no matter who wins the election.”

Refining partner
Pemex, which has reiterated that partners will improve crude production and refining margins, will formalize a joint-venture agreement with Mitsui & Co. at its flagship refinery this month, Trevino said. The partnership with Mitsui is an estimated $2.6 billion deal that will increase production to help reduce the nation’s reliance on imported fuels.

Pemex also expects to sign at least one additional refinery partnership as soon as this summer, Trevino said, without providing additional details. The company continues to seek partners for refinery auxiliary services in areas such as power generation, water treatment and steam generation, he said.

he partnership with Mitsui is an estimated $2.6 billion deal that will increase production to help reduce the nation’s reliance on imported fuels.

Pemex also expects to sign at least one additional refinery partnership as soon as this summer, Trevino said, without providing additional details. The company continues to seek partners for refinery auxiliary services in areas such as power generation, water treatment and steam generation, he said.

The company’s Salina Cruz refinery, which was offline for several months last year following a series of natural disasters, is operating at half of its capacity, processing around 150,000 daily barrels, according to Trevino. Pemex’s Madero refinery, which is in the process of a restart, is currently processing between 60,000 and 80,000 barrels, he said. The Madero refinery, which has the capacity to process 190,000 barrels per day, should ramp up to normal rates at the end of the month.

Oil Auctions
Pemex, which won rights to develop four deep water areas in Mexico’s Jan. 31 auction, is going to bid for a few block in the March 27 tender of 35 shallow water zones, he said. Pemex would prefer to bid in partnerships but is willing to go it alone if need be, Trevino said.

The company, which launched its own oil hedge last year to safeguard against a potential price drop, will continue the program next year, Trevino said.

 

 

FROM: Bloomberg / Adam Williams / 7 de marzo de 2018

¿Participarás en consorcio con otras empresas en las Rondas de Licitación de CNH? Conoce de qué se trata la Responsabilidad Solidaria.

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En 2014, México promulgó  la Reforma Energética y con ello abrió paso a un hecho histórico, por vez primera en 75 años se permitió a la inversión privada participar en las actividades de Exploración y Extracción de hidrocarburos.

Las empresas y consorcios  interesados en participar en los concursos de licitación organizados por la Comisión Nacional de Hidrocarburos (CNH) lo pueden hacer como licitante individual o licitante agrupado (consorcio). Aquellos que deciden participar como consorcio no están obligados constituir una nueva persona moral, sino simplemente a manifestar su voluntad de presentar una propuesta conjunta para la licitación y firmar el contrato correspondiente.

Al permitir este tipo de agrupación, se pretende promover la participación del mayor número de empresas  sin que se quede fuera el capital mexicano. Por eso, pueden licitar empresas que cuenten con experiencia y comprueben capacidad técnica (como operadores) -requisitos que en su mayoría van a cubrir empresas extranjeras- y empresas con capacidad económica y financiera (no operadores).

La participación en consorcio permite que las empresas reúnan las condiciones, que en conjunto  les aseguren mayores posibilidades de éxito. No obstante, es importante considerar que en cualquier caso las empresas adquieren una responsabilidad total solidaria  por las actividades que se ejecuten en el campo.

En primer lugar, será necesario definir su porcentaje de participación, lo cual no implica que asuman solamente en esa medida las obligaciones  establecidas en el contrato, pues las empresas participantes serán solidariamente responsables de todas y cada una de las obligaciones que asume el consorcio, independientemente de su porcentaje de su respectiva participación.

El operador, por su parte, tiene la obligación de cumplir con las obligaciones del contrato en representación de las empresas participantes. Específicamente, se encarga de todos los aspectos operacionales, pero en caso de algún incumplimiento de su parte, como ya dijimos no releva de su responsabilidad solidaria a las otras empresas.

La figura del operador es central, por eso se requiere que cuente por lo menos con una tercera parte de la participación en el consorcio y ningún otro miembro podrá tener una participación económicamente  mayor a  la suya.

En materia de seguros, por ejemplo, el operador es responsable de contratarlos y presentarlos ante la Agencia de Seguridad, Energía y Ambiente (ASEA), de conformidad con lo establecido en las Disposiciones Administrativas de Carácter General   en materia de Seguros (DAGS] para las actividades de Exploración y Extracción de Hidrocarburos, pero si en el momento de un siniestro las coberturas no fueran suficientes y/o adecuadas para responder por el daño, todos los participantes serán legalmente responsables de repararlo.

En NRGI Broker, somos expertos en materia de seguros, así como de la regulación en  materia ambiental, con la que deben cumplir los operadores petroleros. Acércate a nosotros, con gusto te atenderemos.

 

México 2018: un nuevo capítulo de la Reforma Energética

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A cuatro años de su implementación, los avances de la Reforma Energética en México son indudables: 1) se han creado 66 empresas de exploración y producción (E&P); 2) se han firmado 70 nuevos contratos de E&P a través de las 7 licitaciones realizadas, lo que representa inversiones comprometidas por 77,000 mdd; 3) 11 empresas de gasoductos se encuentran operando para aumentar la eficiencia del transporte, así como 45 empresas de almacenamiento actividad que se ha vuelto estratégica ante hechos como la libre importación de combustibles; 4) 18 nuevas marcas de gasolineras y, por último, 5) Pemex ha encontrado socios para la explotación de los campos Trión, Cárdenas Mora y Ogarrio, a través de los farmouts, además de que cierra el año con la buena noticia sobre el descubrimiento del campo Ixachi, que se encuentra muy cerca de la prolífica zona de la “Faja de Oro”.

En 2018, empezará a escribirse un nuevo capítulo de la Reforma Energética, en el que habrá que darle continuidad a los objetivos plasmados en el Plan Quinquenal de Licitaciones 2015-2019 y en donde el principal desafío será la sucesión presidencial, sobre todo para evitar que la efervescencia habitual de los procesos electoral y pos-electoral impida el incumplimiento de las acciones programadas en tiempo y forma.

En primer lugar, se deberán concretar las licitaciones que ya se encuentran en progreso, tales como la Ronda 2.4 (aguas profundas) y los farmouts Ayin-Batsil y  Maximino-Nobilis, cuyos términos de licitación serán replanteados por la CNH en el transcurso del año.

Asimismo, se llevarán a cabo las licitaciones correspondientes a la Ronda 3, cuya primera emisión ya está publicada (Ronda 3.1. Aguas someras) y la Ronda 2.5, para campos terrestres no convencionales (shale) que, aunque no estaba prevista, se llevará a cabo antes de que finalice la presente administración.

Todo lo anterior, nos deja ver que 2018 será un año muy dinámico para la industria de los hidrocarburos y petrolíferos: las empresas participantes deberán poner en marcha o continuar con sus operaciones y cumplir con la diversidad de obligaciones establecidas en su contrato y en la regulación aplicable, tales como la contratación de seguros; la elaboración de la Línea Base Ambiental y la conformación e implementación del Sistema de Administración de Seguridad Industrial, Seguridad Operativa y Protección Ambiental (SASISOPA). Para ello, se requiere la asesoría de expertos en dichos temas que garanticen resultados exitosos.

NRGI Broker es experto en seguros para la industria de los hidrocarburos y además cuenta con alianzas estratégicas con empresas líderes en servicios legales, consultoría ambiental y control de pozos. Acércate a nosotros, con gusto te atenderemos.