López Obrador Proposes Candidate for CRE Presidency

After being elected as President Commissioner of the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) in 2019, Leopoldo Vicente Melchi finished his term on Dec. 31, 2022. President López Obrador announced his three candidates for CRE’s presidency that will finish their term in 2029. The three candidates proposed by López Obrador are Alfonso López Alvarado, Leopoldo Melchi in an extension of his original term and Víctor Palacios Gutiérrez.

López is a chemical engineer with a master’s in petrochemical processes engineering and refining from UNAM as well as in business administration from ITAM. López is the Director General of Oil Contracts of the Ministry of Energy (SENER). Palacios is a chemical engineer and is the General Manager of Natural Gas and Petrochemicals at SENER.

CRE President Melchi is a chemical engineer and holds various certifications such as an administration certification from IPADE, one in environmental policy and protection instruments from UAM and one in efficient water use and quality control from UNAM. 

Melchi replaced Guillermo García Alcocer in 2019 after he retired from the position due to a conflict of interest, though García alluded to differences in opinion with the other commissioners. In 2020, García was banned from holding a public position for 10 years. According to some media sources, the former commissioner also had differences with President López Obrador.

“As can be seen and corroborated, the proposed candidates for the position of president commissioner of the CRE have skill, integrity and experience and meet the requirements established in article 8 of the Law of Coordinated Regulatory Bodies in Energy Matters,” reads the proposal.

Earlier this month, other key figures in Mexico’s energy regulatory bodies stepped down, further clouding the institutions’ goals and procedures and threatening to further extend permit backlogs in 2023.