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July 2, 2007

Pemex explores in deep waters

Pemex, Mexico’s national oil company, has leased a new semi-submersible rig for deep-water drilling in a five-year deal worth almost $1bn. The rig, which is due to be completed by the end of 2009, will be able to operate in 5,000ft of water. Pemex only started exploring the deep water of the Gulf of Mexico in 2004, and is claiming some success in its exploration efforts. The question is whether the company will be able to develop any discoveries that it makes quickly enough.

Mexico certainly needs to do something, because its oil production has been in decline since 2004, according to the BP Review of World Energy. The US Energy Information Administration highlighted the issue in its recent  International Outlook (pages 33-35), which took a much more negative view of Mexico’s future production than last year’s report. The prognosis has got Alan Greenspan worried about the country’s financial future. Cantarell, Mexico’s biggest field which produces about half the country’s oil, is in pretty steep decline, a fact that was predicted by some three years ago.

The problem, however, is that Mexico’s constitution largely forbids investment by foreign oil companies, a position enshrined in Nafta. Felipe Calderon, the president, has suggested he wants to change that. Unless he does, the exploitation of the Mexico’s deep waters is likely to proceed only slowly; probably too slowly to save Mexico from becoming a net oil importer at some point over the next ten years or so.

One Response to “Pemex explores in deep waters”

Comments

  1. The problem is the incredible corruption in Mexico City’s Gov., where Carlos Slim Helu and his neocon band of ——– has been monopolizing and extorting all kinds of fees from all for the last 20 years, from machinery through banks and loans to services, from phone and communication systems to contracts to lobby’s , and always one of his “croonies” is in the take and in the middle of the cake, and now the incompetent and meek of Calderon ( he does not even speak a bit of english !)wants to let the “International Oil Barracuda Club ” steal all what’s left, wonderful !!!

    there is lot’s of oil/gas deep in the Gulf, just ask the “Big Mama Oil Band” , but Calderon ( as Salinas and Fox before)just wants to bend over the whole country for the “FORASTEROS ” , CRIMINAL AND SHAMEFUL ! let’s hope someone in Mexico will start digging in the Gulf soon and for the MEXICANS , the juice is there all the way to Cuba and Florida.

    …and another one: like many say, the Rio Grande dividing Mexico and the USA can be widen and deepen, with harbours, shops, roads, factories and homes, instead of a WALL ( they’ll dig a deeper tunnel or a higher ladder) instead re-build the are from Matamoros to Tijuana with trade,work shops,homes , services, amenities and transport,what a lack of vision, Presidente Calderon,amigo !!!

    Posted by: spuorgoohay2007 | August 24th, 2007 at 8:16 pm | Report this comment

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