Mexico City, March 18 (Reuters) - President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Tuesday that Mexican state energy company Pemex is currently engaged in discussions with companies owned by billionaire Carlos Slim regarding an investment in the country's key natural gas field, Ixachi. She mentioned that talks are also underway for a mixed contract for Ixachi in Veracruz state and a joint operating agreement for the Zama field in the Gulf of Mexico between Pemex and Slim's companies.
During her regular press conference, Sheinbaum stated, "We're discussing this with the companies belonging to Slim," when asked about their potential involvement. She also noted that Grupo Carso, one of Slim's companies, is already playing a role in certain aspects of the Ixachi operation, including well drilling.
The mixed contracts being considered for Ixachi are a novel form of collaboration between Pemex and private entities. This model allows Pemex to partner with private firms, leveraging their expertise and capital while retaining ownership of the resources.
Struggling with financial constraints, Pemex is facing challenges in meeting the crude oil production target of 1.8 million barrels per day, especially with fields in the Gulf of Mexico being a particular area of concern.
Ixachi has been hailed as Mexico's most significant discovery in over 25 years as the country aims for energy self-sufficiency. Despite this, a substantial portion of the gas consumed domestically is imported, predominantly from the United States, primarily from the Permian and the Eagle Ford regions, with imports tripling in the past decade according to RBN Energy.
Mexico's domestic production has dwindled rapidly, with a significant part deemed unusable due to high nitrogen content.