Hidalgo: The State with Most Clandestine Fuel Intakes

Hidalgo has been identified as the state with most clandestine fuel intakes. Meanwhile, Tepeapulco’s municipal president highlighted the importance of Risk Atlas, without which municipalities are not prepared to deal with huachicoleo.

“Unfortunately, we are the fifth municipality with the most clandestine intakes, they gave us that list,” said Tepeapulco Municipal President Marisol Ortega López. She explained that Hidalgo is the state with the highest number of clandestine fuel intakes in the country. Hidalgo’s municipality Cuautepec has the highest number of identified clandestine outlets.

PEMEX is undertaking the identification of all pipelines that run through the municipality “to be able to make them more secure in order to make it harder to drill through them,” added Ortega López.

She recognized that the presence of clandestine intakes in Tepeapulco represents an alarming problem but the Mexican Army, the National Guard (GN), and the state’s Ministry of Public Safety are coordinating to address fuel theft. “It does represent an alarm and, above all, puts the integrity, health and life of the population of the municipality at risk. We are working in coordination with three levels of government and are very clear about this commitment to mitigate this type of criminal act and do not put people at risk.”

On September 22, a fuel leak occurred in a clandestine intake in a PEMEX pipeline, which emptied in the municipal sewage affecting six neighborhoods and leading to the evacuation of almost 300 people. "We had a very high risk due to the fuel leak in the drainage network. There occurred no casualties in neither people nor buildings, it was derived from a clandestine intake,” Ortega López said.

The “Risk Atlas” project, which details the procedures to be followed during such leaks, is already being administered a budget. The administration has already considered its expenditure budget for the next year, according to Ortega López. While an exact figure has not been revealed, it is estimated that the budget will be high. “It is as important as urban planning and territorial development. It is an important investment, since many experts in all kinds of fields are required to write it.” Risk Atlas is the exclusive right and obligation of city councils, per the constitution of Hidalgo.