Regulatory

For this upcoming year, Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s proposed constitutional energy reform – whether it gets enough votes to pass or not – will set the tone of his political agenda, according to analysts and experts in the field.

New natural gas and nuclear energy projects could be classified as “green” investments to help the European Union (EU) reach its net-zero emissions target by 2050, according to a draft proposal by the European Commission (EC) published this month. Regulations proposed under the EC’s taxonomy draft, part of a set of policy initiatives called the…

The 2 Bcf/d Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project has received a key water quality certification (WQC) from West Virginia, but environmental groups have filed yet another lawsuit against the approval.  The pipeline would move Appalachian natural gas to the southeast via a 303-mile route through West Virginia and Virginia.  The Sierra Club and other environmental…

An investigation by California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFIRE) has determined that Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) is responsible for last July’s Dixie wildfire in Northern California. After “a meticulous and thorough investigation,” CalFIRE determined the Dixie Fire was caused by “a tree contacting electrical distribution lines” owned and operated by PG&E…

Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has cleared the way for Sunoco Pipeline LP to reroute part of its Mariner East natural gas liquids system near Marsh Creek Lake State Park in Chester County, PA. Construction was halted last August when drilling fluids and mud seeped into a part of the lake called Ranger Cove…

“It appears the demand for electricity is beginning to grow again as the economy recovers and that, if there is a sudden spike in demand, for example, the supply isn’t going to be there to meet it,” Víctor Florencio Ramírez, directing partner at Mexico City-based consultancy Perceptia21 Energía, told NGI’s Mexico GPI. “We’re going to…

NGI’s Mexico GPI has narrowed down an eventful year to the five key stories that defined Mexico’s natural gas market in 2021. These stories are:

The overhaul of some of Mexico’s aging power plants by state utility Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) could improve the working of the power grid, José Luis Herrera Vaca, founding partner of Herrera Abogados SC and seasoned Mexico energy lawyer, told NGI’s Mexico GPI. “One of the most ambitious projects the CFE is carrying out…

Mexico’s government is doing all it can to boost the fortunes of troubled state oil and gas giant Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), with the Finance Ministry again reducing the firm’s profit-sharing duty and injecting $3.5 billion to reduce debt. “Pemex is strategically important for the country, not only in its function as a provider of goods…