Second Pemex open season to launch

Mexican NOC Pemex will soon initiate the second stage of its open season auctions for fuel transportation and storage capacity, international media reported on Thursday.

Next Tuesday, the state-owned company will allow private players to bid for excess capacity in midstream assets in the northern cities of Nuevo Laredo, Monclova and Sabinas. Awards are scheduled to be delivered on March 14.

Together, the three systems have an excess storage capacity of more than 95,000 barrels, but it is not yet clear how much capacity Pemex plans to auction. The NOC will also offer a share of capacity in the 19,000-bpd Satélite-Monclova-Sabinas pipeline in the state of Coahuila.

Pemex’s open season auctions were initially to take place in five stages; however, in mid-December, the country’s Energy Regulatory Commission decided to divide the remaining 60 terminals and 27 pipelines further into 11 different regional tenders to increase success. The regulator has not yet released the schedule for future auctions.

Last May, Andeavor (formerly Tesoro) was the sole winner in the NOC’s first open season auction. The company was granted a three-year contract for pipeline and storage capacity in the Baja California and Sonora systems.