CFE to announce bids for $4.9 billion
The process will be open to private and foreign firms
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/THE NEWS
MEXICO CITY – Mexico says it expects to put out bids for $4.9 billion in electrical generation and natural gas pipeline projects as part of the opening of the nation’s state-run energy sector.
The Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) wants to build several power plants, but hasn’t set a date for the opening of bidding.
Commission director Enrique Ochoa Reza said Monday that the bidding will be open to private and foreign firms.
The government wants to build more natural gas-fired plants to reduce costs. Mexico has high electricity rates, which officials say limits the growth of some businesses.
Some of the pipelines would be built in Texas, to take advantage of cheaper U.S. gas.
Mexico began opening its oil and electricity industries to private and foreign firms earlier this month.
Ochoa announced the start of the bidding process for 16 infrastructure projects that require a private investment of $4.9 billion.
The bids include two gas pipelines, three electricity production centers, the rehabilitation of a hydroelectric center, two natural gas plants, three transmission lines and five projects to improve capability of distributing electricity around the country.
The director said that by beginning the energy projects the CFE can offer a higher quality of service and product, at a lower cost to benefit all Mexicans.
Energy Secretary Pedro Joaquín Coldwell said that the bidding process for the 16 projects is being conducted in the context of invigorating the energy reforms.
The energy infrastructure projects will begin operating in 2016 or 2017 and include a package of five pipelines that was bid on last month and for which a private investment of $2.8 billion was announced.
Ochoa said that with the new projects, on the heals of energy reform, within two years Mexicans will begin to see a reduction of their energy costs.
No comments:
Post a Comment