Monday, January 28, 2013

Mexico and Brazil eye joint ventures

Plans: Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said his country and Brazil had agreed to look into establishing joint projects involving state-run energy companies Pemex and Petrobras. 
 
Reforms at Mexico's state oil monopoly Pemex have started to open the company up to more private investment, and Pena Nieto has pointed to the success of state-controlled Petrobras - which trades on several major stock exchanges and has boosted efficiency - as a model for deeper change.

"We agreed to establish or look at alternatives for eventual strategic alliances between Pemex and Petrobras ... for a variety of purposes: technology-sharing, project development," Reuters quoted Pena Nieto telling reporters after meeting his Brazilian counterpart, President Dilma Rousseff.

The Mexican leader gave no further details about the possible tie-ups.

Both presidents were in Chile for a two-day meeting of heads of states from the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean region.

Pena Nieto has said one of his top priorities is to boost oil production by attracting more private investment into the country's energy sector. He has pledged to press for a constitutional reform of the industry and plans to push legislation through Congress this year.

If Pemex cannot develop new discoveries to replace declining production at the country's largest, aging fields, Mexico risks becoming a net importer of crude within a decade, analysts say.



No comments:

Post a Comment