Refining Production Falls While Private Imports Rise

SNR Production Still Falling

PEMEX has managed to slow the speed of its falling refining production in 2019 but was unable to move into positive figures across its six refineries, despite a committed investment of MX$25 billion (US$1.34 billion).

The PEMEX Business Plan released last year predicted that in 2019, the National Refinery System (SNR) would refine 643Mb/d of crude, which would require a working capacity of only 39.2 percent. However, this goal was missed by 7.9 percent.

Private Companies Grow Gas and Diesel Imports

Private companies are growing their presence in the import of gas and diesel and, in December 2019, broke a Mexican record by importing  almost one of every five liters of gasoline and one of every three liters of diesel that were sold in the country.

In 2019, private companies – led by Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total, BP, Arco and G500 – imported 13.1 percent of the total fuels brought to the country, a great increase against the 3.7 percent seen in 2018.

OXXO Gas Leading Charge for New Retail Spaces

OXXO Gas is the company that had the highest number of valid permits for the right to construct gas stations in 2019, according to a report published by retail sector analyst, Petro Intelligence.

The report states that in 2019 OXXO Gas had 477 valid permits, while Petromax and Energía y Servicios Coordinados followed with 232 and 89 permits respectively.

OXXO Gas was also the company that received the highest number of authorizations of rights for construction of stations, at 152.

Grupo Protexa Makes PEMEX Preference Public

Grupo Protexa has stated its interest in obtaining more integrated service contracts tendered by PEMEX as part of its drive to push up production on its fields.

Sergio Charles, Director of Strategic and Institutional Relations for the Group, told El Financiero that the company’s business divisions were perfectly suited to provide the integrated service package PEMEX prefers. He also pointed out that the company had won 13 of the 17 contracts tendered by the NOC last year.

PEMEX Construction of Cuxtal 1 Pipeline Underway

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador officially began the PEMEX-led construction of Cuxtal 1, which will carry natural gas to the Yucatán peninsula for electricity generation.

The 16km pipeline will be connected to PEMEX’s national pipeline network and should elevate the amount of gas reaching the peninsula by 10 times.

During the opening ceremony, the president criticized previous administration for leaving the southeast of the country underdeveloped and in need of gas.

The data used in this article was sourced from: Mexico Business News, Petro Intelligence, El Economista, El Financiero, La Jornada.