Mexico plans US$16bn investment to boost oil production, power generation

The Mexican government has unveiled a US$16bn investment plan to boost the domestic oil production, refinery capacity and hydropower generation. US$9.5bn will be invested in 2019 to upgrade existing refineries, build a new one for US$8.6bn in Dos Bocas in the state of Tabasco and increase oil exploration.

The country's crude oil output is flagging and declines to 1.88 md/d in the first half of 2018 down from 3.4 mb/d in 2005 and the government plans to add 600,000 bbl/d in the next two years to reach 2.5 mb/d. The main drivers behind this decline are the natural depletion of oil fields and a lack of investment. In 2018, Mexico imported 590,000 bbl/d of gasoline and 232,000 bbl/d of diesel from the Unites States while the domestic output has halved since 2013.

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China's CNOOC will invest US$3bn in Nigerian oil and gas operations

The state-run company China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) plans to invest US$3bn in its Nigerian oil and gas operations, which are jointly run through joint ventures (JVs) with its state-held counterpart Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). So far, the Chinese firm has spent roughly US$14bn in the country, which is looking forward to boost its crude oil production and reserves through partnerships with major oil ans gas players such as CNOOC, ExxonMobil, Shell and Chevron.

In November 2017, NNPC signed a US$1.7bn financing agreement with Chevron that would increase the Nigerian crude oil output by 39,000 bbl/d. The deal is expected to last until 2045 and the project will focus on oil, gas and condensate production from the Sonam and Okan fields located in leases OML 90 and 91 in the Niger Delta offshore Nigeria.

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