Mexico’s Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) has entered into agreements with international firms to jointly develop $1.4 billion in electric power cogeneration projects designed to supply electricity to two of its Mexican refineries.
PMX Cogeneracion SAPI de CV (PMX), an affiliate of Pemex, let a contract to ATCO, Calgary, and its Mexican partner Grupo Hermes SA de CV, to begin project development and approval processes for a natural gas cogeneration plant at Pemex’s Miguel Hidalgo refinery near Tula, Hidalgo.
The proposed Tula cogeneration plant, which will require a capital investment of about $820 million to be split evenly between PMX and ATCO, will generate 638 Mw of electricity and produce steam at a rate of 1,247 tonnes/hr, according to separate releases from Pemex and ATCO.
ATCO said it expects the partnership for the Tula project to be approved in 2015, with commercial operation of the plant scheduled for second-half 2017.
PMX also signed a memorandum of understanding with Mitsui & Co. Ltd., Tokyo, for a 380-Mw natural gas cogeneration plant capable of producing 760 tonnes/hr of steam at the state-owned oil company’s Hector R. Lara Sosa refining complex in Cadereyta, Nueva Leon, in northeastern Mexico.
The Cadereyta plant, which will require a direct investment of about $590 million, also is planned to begin commercial operation in second-half 2017, according to Pemex.
In addition to improving operational efficiency and reliability of production processes at both refineries, the development of both projects will supply clean energy and electric power to Mexico’s national grid at competitive prices, Pemex said.
