Mexico’s energy regulatory commission, the Comison Reguladora de Energia (CRE), intends to hold a public hearing in November to discuss measures to deal with gas price volatility, strong demand growth and future improvements in Mexican natural gas industry competition.

Mexican officials estimate demand for natural gas will rise at an average annual rate of 9% over the next 10 years. Since President Ernesto Zedillo’s industry reforms in 1995, about $2.2 billion has been committed to build 24,180 miles of natural gas delivery systems that will supply 10 million people in 149 municipalities across the country.

The call for action follows an Aug. 1 measure implemented by the CRE to alleviate the burden of the recent price volatility experienced by the gas industry.

Those interested in submitting proposals are invited to attend. Reference materials detailing the structural reform process and the challenges faced will be published on the CRE website at www.cre.gob.mx. After the meeting, the CRE will gather ideas and publish a document with summaries of the proposals by Jan. 12, 2001. On or before March 9, 2001 the CRE expects to publish a document that will outline possible measures or concrete proposals to update the institutional and legal frameworks of the Mexican natural gas industry.

Alex Steis

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