PE Live: Easing unitisation tensions in Mexico
The outcome of upstream discussions could prove to be a turning point for the country’s energy reforms and the future of international participation
Settling unitisation disputes between Mexican state-owned oil company Pemex and several third-party operators is vitally important for the future of Mexico’s upstream sector, a panel of expert speakers agreed on a PE Live webcast last week. “How this first wave of investor-state issues, arising from the petroleum reforms, is resolved is critical for the private sector in Mexico,” says Peter Hays, partner at international law firm King & Spalding. “This is a perfect storm which people have seen coming for a long time.” Foremost in the industry’s thoughts is the dispute over the Zama discovery, the first major find following the landmark energy reforms carried out under former president En
Also in this section
10 March 2026
By shutting the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has cut exports of distillate-rich Middle Eastern crude, jet fuel and diesel, and is holding the energy market hostage
10 March 2026
Eni’s director for global gas and LNG portfolio, Cristian Signoretto, discusses how demand will respond to rising LNG supply, and how the company is expanding its own gas and LNG operations through disciplined, capital-efficient investments
9 March 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis sees increases in output from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Kazakhstan among others before region’s murky descent
9 March 2026
Energy sanctions are becoming an increasingly prominent tool of US foreign policy, with the country’s growth in oil and gas production allowing it to impose pressure on rivals without jeopardising its own energy security or that of its allies, argues Matthew McManus, a visiting fellow at the National Center for Energy Analytics
