Carlos Ochoa is a Partner in Holland & Knight's Mexico City office.

Alberto Esenaro Arteaga is a Partner in Holland & Knight's Mexico City office.

Pemex Logística, the Petróleos Mexicanos subsidiary that manages the network of terminals and pipelines of the state company, plans to hold 11 auctions to reserve transportation and storage capacity in 60 terminals and 27 stretches of pipeline throughout various regions of Mexico.

The first 2018 procedure was called on Jan. 9. It is the open season for the North Zone Border System (Sistema Norte Zona Frontera) to offer available storage capacity and transportation of gasoline and diesel fuel for a number of terminals and ducts in Satélite, Monclova and Sabinas in the state of Coahuila, along with Nuevo Laredo in the state of Tamaulipas (Open Season, Stage 1.2).

Key dates to remember are:

  • Jan. 9-29 – Prequalification
  • Jan. 18-19 and March 5-6 – Workshops
  • Jan. 24 and Feb. 20 – Visits to site (registration needed)
  • Jan. 30-Feb. 27 – Reception of proposals
  • March 14 – Award and capacity allocation

This open season is the continuity of the procedure carried out for the Rosarito System, which was awarded to U.S.-based Andeavor (formerly Tesoro) in 2017 (Open Season, Stage 1.1).

It is expected that open season auctions will be called monthly during 2018. The terms and conditions, as well the activity calendars, are still in a regulatory process review, which includes the calculation of capacity that Pemex will hold before calling the procedures.

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