Northcote withdraws from Mexico’s next licensing round
Northcote Energy has withdrawn from the pre-qualification process for Mexico’s next licensing round.
Northcote Energy has withdrawn from the pre-qualification process for Mexico’s next licensing round.
Mexico’s second oil and gas auction marked a turning point for the industry.
Mexico’s first auction of offshore oil leases fell short of the country’s expectations as several majors decided not to participate. Only two of the 14 shallow-water blocks released on Wednesday received qualifying bids. Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and Total SA passed on the country’s sale of territory in the Gulf of Mexico, 77 years after the country nationalized crude. The 14 percent success rate was less than half the 30 percent to 50 percent goal that the government said would be its minimum for judging the event a success. The auction was the first in a series that will help determine whether Mexico can reverse a decade-long decline in crude output and fulfill President Enrique Pena Nieto’s pledge to double the speed of economic growth. The output drop and an almost 50 percent plunge in oil prices during the past year had already forced Mexico to trim government spending and sweeten the contract terms for prospective bidders.
Mexico is gearing up for the first auction of new licences to private investors in almost 80 years. Here’s how the numbers break down.