Pemex evaluating bids for hydrogen supply to Cadereyta, Madero refineries

Oct. 9, 2017
Pemex Transformacion Industrial (PTI), the processing arm of Mexico's state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos SA, is in the process of selecting suitable partners to supply hydrogen to two of its refineries in Mexico.

Robert Brelsford
Downstream Technology Editor

Pemex Transformacion Industrial (PTI), the processing arm of Mexico's state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos SA, is in the process of selecting suitable partners to supply hydrogen to two of its refineries in Mexico.

PTI currently is assessing technical and financial proposals from undisclosed bidders for hydrogen supply to the Hector R. Lara Sosa refining complex in Cadereyta, Nueva Leon, in northeastern Mexico, and the Francisco I. Madero refinery in Madero, Tamaulipas, the operator said.

While PTI did not disclose a timeframe for when it will reach a final decision on the partnerships, the company said it expects the pending hydrogen supply contracts will result in direct profits of nearly $134 million for Pemex.

Part of the framework of Pemex's 2017-21 business plan, the proposed alliances for hydrogen supply to its refineries are intended to decrease operating costs as well as ensure reliable supplies of hydrogen required for various processing activities to help reduce the frequency of unscheduled shutdowns, the operator said.

The pending contracts also will enable PTI to strengthen overall performance of the two refineries by helping to increase their production of gasoline and diesel fuels, Pemex said.

These latest proposed partnerships for the Cadereyta and Madero refineries follow Pemex's first joint-venture agreement for auxiliary services to its national refining system made with Air Liquide Mexico SA de RL de CV for hydrogen supply to the Miguel Hidalgo refinery in Tula de Allende, Hidalgo, in central Mexico, according to separate releases from Pemex and Air Liquide.

Under the long-term agreement, Air Liquide will invest €50 million to acquire, upgrade, and operate Pemex's existing hydrogen production unit-a steam methane reformer (SMR)-to supply 90,000 normal cu m/hr of hydrogen to the Tula refinery for 20 years beginning in first-quarter 2018, the service provider said.

The Tula refinery will use hydrogen from the upgraded SMR to help produce cleaner fuels as part a series of initiatives under PTI's broader Fuel Quality Project-formerly the Clean Fuels Project-at its six Mexican refineries, which includes similar ultralow-sulfur fuel projects at the Cadereyta and Madero manufacturing sites (OGJ Online, Mar. 21, 2016).