Vicente

To revive his stagnant reform agenda, Mexican President Vicente Fox has reshuffled his Cabinet and replaced Energy Minister Ernesto Martens with Felipe Calderon, a former leader of the ruling National Action Party, or PAN, which now controls Congress.

Mexico’s President Vicente Fox this week announced a series of steps that he said will reduce the country’s energy costs as well as its dependence on foreign energy supplies. Among other things, Fox wants to change Mexico’s constitution to allow more private investment in natural gas exploration.

Mexican President Vicente Fox said Tuesday that Russia has agreed to supply his country with liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East for up to four proposed terminals as part of a long-ranging plan to increase energy cooperation between the two countries.

Mexican President Vicente Fox remains adamant about adopting energy reforms, expressing concern last week about the country’s growing importation of natural gas.

Mexican President Vicente Fox remains adamant about adopting energy reforms, expressing concern this week about the country’s growing importation of natural gas.

With Mexico’s President Vicente Fox weakened politically following the recent national election, opposition lawmakers said last week they would contest a program to tender natural gas production contracts to outside investment. In July, Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) unveiled its first package of multiple service contract (MSC) bids on seven blocks of the Burgos Basin (see NGI, July 21).

With Mexico’s President Vicente Fox weakened politically following the recent national election, opposition lawmakers said Thursday they would contest a program to tender natural gas production contracts to outside investment. In July, Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) unveiled its first package of multiple service contract (MSC) bids on seven blocks of the Burgos Basin (see Daily GPI, July 18).

Mexico’s reform-minded President Vicente Fox is proposing to open up the country’s state-controlled electricity sector to more private investment. The measure seeks to revise two constitutional amendments to allow private companies to invest in new generation.

Mexico’s Supreme Court dealt a setback to President Vicente Fox’s plan to promote private generation, voting 8-3 in April to reject changes in the country’s electricity laws. The court ruled that the modifications decreed last year by the Fox administration in an executive order are unconstitutional. Nationalists opposed to a growing movement toward private ownership in the country had challenged Fox’s May 2001 decree to promote private power generation development.