Mexico's Pemex inks hydrogen refinery venture with France's Air Liquide

Reuters

Published Feb 23, 2017 19:06

Mexico's Pemex inks hydrogen refinery venture with France's Air Liquide

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's Pemex will partner with France's Air Liquide SA (PA:AIRP) to operate an existing hydrogen plant and build a second one at its Tula refinery, the Mexican state-owned oil company said in a statement on Thursday.

The 20-year joint venture partnership marks the first time Petroleos Mexicanos , or Pemex as it is better known, has inked a deal to cede some operations of its aging domestic refineries.

The move follows Mexico's 2013 energy market reform which opened the country's state-run energy sector to private producers, allowing Pemex to enter joint-venture partnerships.

Pemex did not immediately respond to a request for additional information.

The Miguel Hidalgo refinery outside the city of Tula in central Hidalgo state is Pemex's second largest with a crude oil processing capacity of 315,000 barrels per day.