Amid accusations from various actors in the United States for obstacles placed by the Mexican government on fuel trading companies from that country, Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) closed 2021 on the path to recovering ground in the fuel market.
Through its own production and imports, in December 2021 the state oil company contributed 681,000 barrels to a national supply of 814,000 barrels of gasoline per day (defined as the sum of national production and imports, less exports), equivalent to 83.5% turnout, its highest level since August 2020 (84.3 percent).
In addition, it contributed 239,000 barrels to a national supply of 319,000 barrels per day of diesel, which is equivalent to a share of 75%, its highest percentage since May 2020 (76.9%), according to calculations based on data from the System of Energy Information from the Secretary of Energy.
In both cases, Pemex has managed to reverse a market loss trend against imports made by private companies, for whom the market was only opened in 2016.
As for gasoline, the state-owned company has recovered ground every month since August 2021, going from 75.5% to 83.5% participation and, in diesel, the same has happened since April 2021, going from 65.8 to 75 percent. hundred.
As for gasoline, Pemex has managed to recover the market mainly due to a rebound in imports, which went from 311,000 barrels to 425,000 barrels per day between last August and December, which meant that its share of the national supply jumped from 42.9 to 52.2 percent.
On the diesel side, the rebound in domestic production was more relevant, which went from 96,000 barrels to 137,000 barrels per day from April to December last, which meant that the contribution to the national supply rose from 29.4% to 42.9 percent .
Speak up in the US
Between October 2020 and January 2021, the US government has received more than 20 letters from US legislators and business chambers, complaining about the Mexican government’s policy aimed at strengthening public energy companies, Pemex and the Federal Commission of Electricity (CFE).
In a letter sent in September of last year, the Alliance for Trade Enforcement (AFTE) stated that the US energy sector faces a growing range of market access obstacles that they are contrary to Mexico’s commitments in the USMCA regarding the protection of national treatment investment in Mexico and exports of equipment and energy resources from the United States.
The López Obrador government issued a series of regulatory and administrative measures that, according to the letter, restrict the competition of private, foreign and national investment with Pemex and the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), strengthening its dominant role in Mexico and reversing the reforms of the energy market that had been consigned in the T-MEC.
AFTE brings together associations such as the American Petroleum Institute (API), The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC), The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)
According to the associations, U.S. investors now face increasing difficulty obtaining permits for a variety of activities including new or brand-new stations, third-party storage facilities, imported fuels, liquids terminals, and liquefied natural gas terminals. . Additionally, they affirmed, the change in export and import permits for hydrocarbons and oil products from 20 years to 1 year directly discriminates investment in hydrocarbons in Mexico to the benefit of Pemex.