Mexico's oil industry faces new pressures from Venezuela oil under US

"Monterrey, Mexico: For more than 30 years, Dagoberto Ramos worked at Pemex, Mexico's state-owned oil company, at one of its petrochemical complexes in the energy hub of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz. Ten years ago, the specialist in ethylene production opted for early retirement, fearing that deteriorating maintenance routines were putting him at risk of injury and liability. He was particularly concerned about being blamed for an accident resulting from neglected infrastructure."

"The risk of a potential catastrophe was very real, both for the staff and for the surrounding communities. On April 20, 2016, less than a year after Ramos left, an explosion rocked the Pajaritos complex, where he had worked before transferring to the Morelos complex just five kilometres away. The incident killed 32 people and injured more than 130 workers."

"Pemex, over the years, has been responsible for soil contamination, rising methane emissions, and pipeline spills, with chronic leaks impacting local communities and marine fauna. This lack of infrastructure maintenance has worsened as the state-owned giant contends with significant financial and operational constraints and a massive debt burden. For the past two decades, Pemex has struggled to increase production as mature oil fields decline, while it carries a debt of $100bn and has failed to attract private investment."

A long-serving Pemex worker retired early due to deteriorating maintenance routines and fear of liability from neglected infrastructure. Maintenance schedules at petrochemical plants were cut from a month to as little as 15–20 days, prioritising only the most urgent tasks. A 2016 explosion at the Pajaritos complex killed 32 people and injured more than 130, illustrating severe safety failures. Pemex has caused soil contamination, methane emissions, pipeline spills, and chronic leaks affecting communities and marine life. The company faces significant operational constraints, roughly $100bn in debt, declining mature fields, a failure to attract private investment, and growing regional competition and import dependence.

Read at www.aljazeera.com