Energy Politics Increasing in Latin America A G10 of State Oil Companies?

longknife · May 16, 2014

It appears OPEC may no longer rule the world's energy markets as companies south of us want to unite to determine their market strategies. Chile is already reported to be considering massive national gas facilities that could make a huge impact on its economy. We also know about Mexico's efforts to revise its state-owned PEMEX. Read more about this @ http://en.mercopress.com/2014/05/16...ntent=main&utm_campaign=rss&utm_reader=feedly

waltky · Apr 22, 2016

Pemex plant blows up in Mexico...

Mexico's Pemex puts blast death toll at 24, blames leak
Thu Apr 21, 2016 - Twenty-four people died after a leak caused a deadly petrochemical plant blast, and the death toll could still rise, Mexican oil giant Pemex said on Thursday, the latest in a series of fatal accidents to batter the company.

Pemex CEO Jose Antonio Gonzalez Anaya, who traveled to the site of Wednesday's blast near the port of Coatzacoalcos, one of Pemex's top oil export hubs, told local television it was unclear what caused the accident. The massive explosion at the facility's chlorinate 3 plant in the Gulf state of Veracruz also injured 136 people, 13 of them seriously. Another 18 people were unaccounted for, and one badly damaged part of the plant had yet to be scoured. "We know there was a leak, what we don't know is why, but everything points to an accident," Gonzalez Anaya said. He shared an updated death toll at a press conference late on Thursday, adding that remediation of the site could take up to a year. He denied the blast was tied to the economic problems of Pemex, which is trying to stem sliding output and slash costs as it creaks under the pressure of low crude prices.

Smoke rises from the explosion site at Mexican national oil company Pemex's Pajaritos petrochemical complex in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz state, Mexico

The sharp odor of ammonia filled the air and the plants' turbines still streamed gray smoke on Thursday afternoon, where local and municipal police, as well as marines, blocked the entrance to the facility. Most officials wore blue face masks to protect against the fumes, while family members crowded around, their faces uncovered, demanding more information on missing relatives and at times throwing objects at the officials or pushing them. Others held hands and prayed for the missing and dead. "We are desperate because no-one is coming out to show their face," said Ancelma Cordero, 49, whose 21-year-old brother is one of the missing and has not responded to his cellphone. She said she had been waiting since the prior night and her head was starting to hurt. "They told us we were breathing toxins and we should leave," she said of authorities. "But ... if we leave, they could make the bodies disappear."

Calling it a "tragic accident", President Enrique Pena Nieto headed to the region late Thursday to tour the facility with local officials and speak with victims and their families. The blast occurred at a vinyl petrochemical plant that is a joint venture between Pemex's petrochemical unit and majority owner Mexican plastic pipe maker Mexichem (MEXCHEM.MX). Pemex operates the larger petrochemical complex where the plant was located, known as Pajaritos. The plant produces some 900 tons a day of vinyl chloride monomer, also known as chloroethene, an industrial chemical used to produce plastic piping. The joint venture had forecast sales of $260 million this year. Shares in Mexichem closed 5.2 percent lower on Thursday. "This is neither the time for excuses nor finding those to blame," Juan Pablo del Valle, Mexichem's chairman, said on Twitter. "It is the time to tend to the injured, be accountable and support all those affected."

Relatives of a missing worker react as they wait for information of their loved one outside the Mexican national oil company Pemex's Pajaritos petrochemical complex in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz state, Mexico

In February, a fire killed a worker at the same plant, the latest in a litany of safety disasters that have plagued the state oil giant. In 2013, at least 37 people were killed by a blast at its Mexico City headquarters, and 26 people died in a fire at a Pemex natural gas facility in northern Mexico in September 2012. A 2015 fire at its Abkatun Permanente platform in the oil-rich Bay of Campeche affected oil output and cost the company up to $780 million.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-pemex-idUSKCN0XH2N2
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Mexico explosion: Families demand answers over deadly blast
Fri, 22 Apr 2016 - Relatives of workers inside a petrochemical plant that exploded in Mexico, killing 24 people, demand answers from managers.

Relatives of workers inside a petrochemical plant that exploded in Mexico are demanding answers from managers over what happened. The blast hit the facility in the southern city of Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz state on Wednesday. The cause of the explosion is unclear. The death toll reached 24 on Thursday, with another 13 still seriously hurt. Dozens of family members gathered near the gates of the plant to demand talks with plant bosses. Some tried to force their way into the compound, the Associated Press news agency reported. Mexico's state oil company Pemex raised the death toll late on Wednesday, and said 19 people remained in hospital.

Rosa Villalobos travelled four hours to search for her son who worked at the plant, but could not find him at the hospital. "What I want is for justice to be done in my son's case, for there to be no impunity," she told AP. "I'm going to stay here. Even though I have no money, even though I have nothing to eat, I'm staying put." Ancelma Cordero's 21-year-old brother is one of the missing. "We are desperate because no-one is coming out to show their face," she told Reuters at the plant gates. "They told us we were breathing toxins and we should leave. But ... if we leave, they could make the bodies disappear." President Enrique Pena Nieto, who spoke of "a tragic accident", travelled to the site late on Thursday.

Relatives wait for news of their loves ones at the state-run oil giant Pemex"s Pajaritos petrochemical plant in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz State, Mexico

The director of Pemex, Jose Gonzalez Anaya, said the explosion "was caused by a leak" but "we don't know how that leak occurred". The incident occurred at around 15:15 local time (20:15 GMT) on Wednesday. Veracruz state Governor Javier Duarte told a radio station the blast was felt 10km (six miles) away. More than 130 people were injured and thousands had to leave their homes. The head of Mexico's emergency services, Luis Felipe Puente, had earlier said 10 bodies were found when his staff entered the site. Residents were told to stay indoors because of the possible toxic nature of the smoke from the blast, but Pemex said the smoke dissipated quickly, lessening any possible toxic effects.

On Thursday the company said there was no longer any danger from the smoke. AP reported that the plant produces vinyl chloride, a dangerous chemical used to make PVC pipes and packaging materials. In September 2012, an explosion then a fire at a gas plant in the northern state of Tamaulipas killed 33 people. Pemex's own headquarters in Mexico City was hit by a large gas blast in January 2013, killing 37 people. A number of fires also struck the company's rigs in the Gulf of Mexico last year, and a worker was killed in another fire at the Veracruz plant in February this year.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-36108837
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waltky · Apr 23, 2016

More bodies recovered from petrochemical blast...

Death toll at 28 in Mexico petrochemical plant explosion
Apr 23,`16 -- Searchers recovered four more bodies from a petrochemical plant wrecked by a huge explosion this week on Mexico's southeastern Gulf coast, raising the death toll to 28, the state oil company said Friday night.

Petroleos Mexicanos said in a statement that some workers were still missing, but did not specify a number. It had said Thursday that eight workers were unaccounted for. Pemex said some areas of the plant had not yet been searched. Earlier in the day, it said drones and tracker dogs were aiding the search.

The company said 18 people were still hospitalized. More than 130 people in all suffered various injuries Wednesday when the explosion rocked the plant in Coatzacoalcos, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) southeast of Mexico City.

A plume of smoke rises over the State oil company Petroleos Mexicanos' petrochemical plant in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, Wednesday April 20, 2016. An explosion ripped through a petrochemical plant on the southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, killing 3 people, injuring dozens and sending flames and a toxin-filled cloud into the air, officials said.

Pemex has said the explosion happened after a leak but has not determined the source. The Clorados 3 plant of Petroquimica Mexicana de Vinilo produces the hazardous industrial chemical vinyl chloride.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-04-23-00-14-17
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waltky · Apr 25, 2016

Granny says, "Dat's right - Somebody needs to take it over an' run it right...

Death toll rises to 32 in Mexico petrochemical plant blast
Apr 24,`16 -- Mexico's state oil company says that searchers have recovered four more bodies from a petrochemical plant wrecked by a huge explosion on the country's Gulf coast, raising the death toll to 32.

Petroleos Mexicanos said in a statement Sunday that rescuers with dogs had reached some of the area's most affected by Wednesday's blast and had located more bodies. It said all the workers in the plant that day have been located.

The company said more than 130 people in all suffered injuries when the explosion rocked the plant in Coatzacoalcos, 600 kilometers (370 miles) southeast of Mexico City.

Pemex has said the explosion happened after a leak but has not determined the source. The Clorados 3 plant of Petroquimica Mexicana de Vinilo produces the hazardous industrial chemical vinyl chloride.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-04-24-22-32-23
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