Mexico hydrocarbons watch: CNH appointment clears first stage, Pemex opens pipeline tender

The appointment of a new commissioner to fill an empty spot at Mexico’s hydrocarbons regulator CNH has advanced in the senate.

The upper house energy committee completed the screening of the three candidates proposed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and decided two of them fulfilled the post's requirements. The appointment will be decided on the senate floor.

Agustín Díaz Lastra, a board member of federal oil company Pemex, and José Sánchez Pérez, chief administrator of the Tehuantepec isthmus corridor project, were cleared by the senate, while Romeo Antonio Rojas, Pemex's deputy head of strategic projects, was rejected because he did not attend the committee's summons.

Sánchez Pérez said hydrocarbons production in Mexico should be aligned with the government's plans for national development. He also said CNH should fight inequality and spur sustainable investment projects that can offset the hydrocarbons sector's carbon emissions. He was criticized by opposition senators for lacking the technical expertise required for a CNH post.

Díaz Lastra, meanwhile, argued in favor of greater regulatory efficiency to reduce waiting times, and said CNH should strive to maximize the profitability of Mexico's hydrocarbons reserves to achieve energy security.

The regulator has been in limbo since head commissioner Rogelio Hernández Cázarez resigned earlier this month. Lacking enough active members, the commission has been unable to hold a session for three weeks.

The watchdog is in charge of assessing exploration, appraisal and production plans, and ensure that Mexico's hydrocarbons resources are extracted efficiently.

***

Pemex's exploration and production arm PEP has opened a tender for the construction of several oil and gas pipelines in Veracruz and Tabasco states.

The tender will be divided into northern and southern packages. The former encompasses areas in Veracruz, including Poza Rica-Altamira, Veracruz and Reynosa, while the latter includes Tabasco assets Macuspana-Muspac, Samaria-Luna, Bellota-Jujo and Cinco Presidentes.

Winning firms will have to deploy pipelines and other equipment, the company said, and install warehouses and other equipment no more than 10km from the fields.

The equipment includes oil pipelines, gas pipelines, measuring technology, discharge pipes, and injection and pneumatic pumping equipment, among others.