Engineers from the complex reported that the Olmeca Refinery has decided to halt its operations to avoid corrosive damage to the plants that supply its two refining trains. The reason behind this decision is attributed to the significant debts that Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) has with the supplier companies of the chemicals necessary to desalinate crude oil. These companies have suspended deliveries due to the lack of payment from the oil company, which could delay gasoline production until May 2025 if payments are made in March, as expected by Pemex management.
The Olmeca Refinery, with an anticipated capacity to refine 260,000 barrels of crude oil per day, has represented a considerable investment of nearly 300 billion pesos and was built in record time. However, the current problems highlight the urgency for Pemex to resolve these dilemmas to ensure fuel supply in the country and reduce dependence on imports, which currently reach 900,000 barrels daily at higher costs.
The debt to suppliers exceeds 500 billion pesos, accumulated during the previous Pemex administration, and must be resolved for the supplier companies to fulfill the contracts assigned on time. This situation poses significant challenges for Pemex in its financial and operational management at a critical moment for the national energy sector.
The reactivation of the refining trains at the Olmeca Refinery, located in Dos Bocas, Tabasco, could take approximately a month and a half after Pemex manages to supply clean, salt-free crude. Until the outstanding payments are resolved, refining cannot resume, which has led the refinery to face considerable delays in gasoline production since mid-December, when operations were halted due to the high salt content in the hydrocarbon provided by Pemex Exploration and Production (PEP).
