To help meet the growing global demand for energy, as well as to assure the continued economic growth of Mexico, PEMEX is undertaking an unprecedented expansion of its oil and gas production activities. PEMEX is the sixth largest petroleum producing company in the world and, as a state-owned company, generates over a third of the financing for the federal budget. The Director General of PEMEX, Raúl Muñoz Leos, has identified both expansion of production and reinvestment in existing facilities as essential to the continued ability of PEMEX to play this central role in the Mexican economy.

At the same time, global concerns over safety and environmental consequences of fossil fuel production and use are also growing, leading to PEMEX’s increasing concern about its environmental performance. Since 1995, Battelle has been drawing on its combined expertise in oil and gas operations and technical skills in pipeline integrity, environmental impact assessment, and environmental management to add value to PEMEX as we provide technical services in environmental and safety areas.

Battelle’s initial engagement was to help PEMEX understand the true impact of its operations in the State of Tabasco. Battelle teamed with the Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo (IMP) and staff from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) to conduct an integrated assessment of PEMEX’s environmental impacts. The team found that some of the suspect environmental impacts were due to factors other than PEMEX operations. The team also made recommendations for improving PEMEX’s environmental performance in the Tabasco area.

In 1998, Battelle formed an alliance with the IMP, UNAM, and the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) to jointly provide environmental and other services to PEMEX and additional clients in the region. Using expertise in offshore exploration and production operations and environmental impacts, this Alianza has recently initiated a similar investigation of offshore production in the Sonda de Campeche area of Southern Mexico.

The Alianza is also providing value to PEMEX in the area of pipeline operational integrity, using Battelle’s expertise in gas pipeline engineering and operations to help PEMEX maintain product flow and optimize maintenance resources. Other investigations include an analysis of water use and treatment at PEMEX facilities, guidance and training in the implementation of a SCADA system for pipeline operations, and the design and implementation of an emergency management system for one of PEMEX’s six refineries. The Alianza has also supported the Mexico City government in the development of a long-range plan for a sustainable water supply.

In the coming years, Battelle, in partnership with IMP, will work closely to help PEMEX address critical environmental and safety areas related to expansion, exploration, production, and minimizing environmental contamination. Additionally, Battelle will work to expand IMP’s abilities and capabilities to serve PEMEX in the future. For further information, contact Tom Thomas at (614)424-5632, thomast@battelle.org, or Jon Olson (206)528-3200, olsonj@battelle.org.