PEMEX Leak Closes Mexico-Queretaro Highway
The Mexico-Queretaro highway was shut down after PEMEX authorities received an emergency notification of a possible illegal tap on a gas pipeline located near the Tepeji del Río municipality. Although the presence of human intervention was not confirmed, a gas leak did take place and workers from the NOC were unable to dissipate the gas cloud quickly enough due to weather conditions. According to a report from El Universal, 200 families were also evacuated as an additional precaution.
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Fuel Pipeline Explodes In Nuevo León
A fuel pipeline exploded near the Nuevo Leon municipality of Apodaca after witnesses saw people attempting to tap into the fuel supply. The incident resulted in the wounding of one civilian whose status is reported as “delicate”. Speaking to Televisa, Apodaca residents reported a number of unknown people fleeing the scene carrying fuel storage and pipeline tapping devices, although PEMEX workers claimed that the event was an accident and no illegal taps had yet been detected.
Fuel Theft Decreases In Puebla
Speaking at the Military School of Sergeants in Puebla, President López Obrador and Puebla’s Gov. Miguel Barbosa said that fuel theft in the state had greatly decreased since the beginning of Barbosa’s administration in August 2019. “The theft of gasoline has dropped enormously. It is not a marginal decrease. In fact, the ongoing decline in fuel theft is five times greater than it was at the start of our government. The arrests of gangs involved in this crime have been made public. We have dozens of people in jail from these gangs, including a group of hitmen, while others also remain on the run,” said Barbosa. He also added that his government will continue to work on eliminating the presence of these fuel theft gangs.
Gasoline Sales Hit Pre-Pandemic Levels
A 13.15 percent increase in gasoline sales occurred during the first week of August, according to data released by SENER, reaching pre-pandemic levels and signaling a healthy recovery of the sector and the economy at-large. Historic lows were reached last year, particularly during the months of April and May, solely due to the pandemic measures of mobility restrictions imposed by the government in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. Over time, as states changed from red, orange and yellow lights to green lights, sales began to recover as well. In July and August, gasoline sales levels either followed suit and matched those of 2019, when reported figures were of over 794 thousand daily barrels, or reached higher numbers.
OPEC+ Deal Drives Oil Prices to Three-Year High
OPEC+ country officials and delegates announced on Monday, following a meeting, that they were continuing with their plan to gradually increase oil output amidst a worldwide surge in demand. The so-called “measured steps” strategy is a move that sent oil prices to a three-year high. The amount in question involves an additional 400 thousand barrels each month throughout the next year, until at least the month of April.