Mexico’s latest oil refinery now seen working at half capability in mid-2023 By Reuters

By Adriana Barrera

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican state oil firm Pemex’s latest refinery will attain half of its crude processing capability in July, the nationwide president stated on Friday, marking the most recent shift in timing for the challenge’s operations.

The Olmeca oil refinery, being constructed subsequent to the Dos Bocas port, is about to be Pemex’s eighth when it comes on line. It’s key to Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s plan to make the nation self-sufficient in gasoline and diesel, ending longstanding heavy dependence on imports, primarily from U.S. refiners.

Describing the development of the refinery in his dwelling state, Tabasco, as having occurred in “world document time,” Lopez Obrador stated “on July 1, it can start to course of 170,000 barrels per day (bpd) of .”

By September 15, the day earlier than Mexican Independence Day, it could course of its full capability of 340,000 bpd and yield 280,000 bpd of gasoline and diesel, Lopez Obrador stated, posting on Twitter.

The president didn’t specify whether or not the refinery would produce gasoline or diesel earlier than July 1 or whether or not the date would mark the primary barrels of crude processed there.

Final July, on the Gulf Coast facility’s symbolic inauguration, Vitality Minister Rocio Nahle stated the primary barrel of gas from Olmeca could be produced this month, December.

The president has put run Pemex on the middle of his vitality agenda, at the same time as critics have questioned the financial logic of the brand new facility, the price of which was initially budgeted at about $8 billion however has since ballooned to greater than $15.4 billion.

The Olmeca refinery has been one of many leftist president’s signature public works initiatives since he took workplace in late 2018. He initially stated it could start producing this 12 months.