MEXICO TO PARTLY PRIVATIZE GAS SECTOR

May 8, 1995
Mexico has opened its natural gas transportation sector to foreign investment, ending decades of monopoly.

Mexico has opened its natural gas transportation sector to foreign investment, ending decades of monopoly.

The Mexican senate Apr. 29 passed a law allowing private domestic and foreign investors to participate in the transmission, storage, and distribution of natural gas. The last act of congress before recessing until September, that move followed passage by the lower house chamber of deputies earlier in the week. It is the first significant change in Mexico's constitution regarding the country's oil and gas industry since nationalization in 1938 (OGJ, Aug. 16, 1993, p. 26). Energy Minister Ignacio Pichardo, stressing that exploration and production of natural gas and crude oil will remain a monopoly of state owned Petroleos Mexicanos, estimated the Mexican gas sector will attract about $5 billion in private domestic and foreign investment in 3-4 years. Press reports from Mexico suggested legislators will press for limits on outside investment in the natural gas sector once congress resumes.

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