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Mexico’s oil regulator trims area of upcoming oil tender
Mexico’s oil regulator on Thursday said it removed two areas within a block of oil exploration and production rights to be auctioned next month in order to extend talks with indigenous communities who live there.
Areas 10 and 11 in the southern state of Chiapas will no longer be included in the tender, scheduled for July 12, Juan Carlos Zepeda, head of the oil regulator, known as the CNH, said during a session of the organization.
Each area takes up about 400 square kilometers (150 square miles) and contains light and super-light crude, according to the CNH. Another 10 areas remain in the July 12 tender.
Mexico is auctioning rights to explore and produce hydrocarbons in a bid to attract more private investment to the industry after Congress changed the constitution in late 2013 to end the 75-year monopoly of state oil company Pemex.
This week, it auctioned two-thirds of the shallow water oil and gas blocks offered in the most recent round.
The energy ministry said on Wednesday it would ask the CNH to remove the two areas from the July 12 round to provide more time for talks with local Zoque and Tzotzil communities.
The next tender was the first to involve territories with significant indigenous populations, and the 2013 legal change requires the government consult with them before proceeding. Joffrey Lupul Authentic Jersey
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