The ethylene: words only words …

National
The well of BP remained sealed: U.S.A.
The ethylene: words only words …
By: Carlos Damián November 20, 2010
The difference of policy and facts between Brazil and Mexico
México. – In occasion of the chiefs meeting of government of Latin America, those of Mexico and Brazil were referred jointly to the investment of a Brazilian private company, Braskem, in Mexican petrochemical industry, especially in the project that the federal government has called Etileno XXI. However, Mexico and Brazil in facts are: totally opposite mutually. The ethylene is very important, from several points of view. It is a hydrocarbon and that causes that be encompassed by the article 27 of the Constitution, says that "being tried of the oil and to the solid hydrogen carbides, liquid or gaseous (…) will not be granted grants neither contracts, nor will subsist those which in their case may have been granted".

In spite of these sentences contained in the Great Letter, for years it was eliminated of the third article of the respective regulatory law, together with petrochemical others, with the intention of privatizing its production. In spite of the attempts of privatizing the ethylene production have failed throughout the years. Other product that it is matter outweighs basic of the hydrocarbon is the ethane, which at the same time is produced of the natural gas. However it continues in the exclusive products list property of the State.

One of the elements that it has stopped the production of the ethylene are the directors paid for the corruption and the impunity that close oil production plants of Pemex. Other aspect of this stop in the production are the presidential decrees; for decreeing the gas let of be sold in Mexico in function of its cost, that it is very under because for the most part it is associated with oil and it is this the one which has more value.

For decree of the intelligent technocrats was decided that the prices of the gas are fixed in function of those of The States, that they are much more expensive. Then, Petrochemical Pemex (PPQ), for the plants that they have not been closed or sold yet, must to it pay to Pemex Gas and Petrochemical Basic the product to American price, more in its case, the cost of the separation and processing of the ethane. But Pemex would give to it the ethane to the private company "winning" by down of the price, as of its offers in a "contest" of those which the winners already they are from the principle, that gives to it to PPQ.

In November 9, 2009 was announced that Pemex awarded the Ethylene project XXI to the society formed by the Mexican companies Idesa and the Brazilian Braskem. The investment of the project will be superior to 2 billion of dollars, and Pemex Gas and Petrochemical Basic is committed to supply it 66 thousand daily barrels of ethane to a fixed price by a period not smaller to 10 years. It is supposed that the work would be given 2015. PPQ will follow paying in terms, nothing fixed, of the States prices.

Meanwhile, Pemex, in spite of the fact that the have hurt too, it continues being the only one producing of ethylene of Mexico, and in that sense is continued applying the article 27 of the Constitution. Though the production of Pemex, it is very inferior to its original capacity, due to the bad managing and awful Mexican. In Brazil, the public oil company Petrobras and their subsidiaries build the Rio de Janeiro Petrochemical complex (Comper). Includes a refinery that will provide to the petrochemical plants, and at the same time will be built four refineries, and will follow being of Petrobras.

While in Brazil are taken and are executed agreements, in Mexico by the syndrome of the Malinche, the officials go seeing that plants close and which sell abroad because the Mexican investors are defect mental that they do not know to handle petrochemical plants. In this attitude and arrangement contradicts to Mexico bases the success of the Brazilian recovery and Mexico continues falling. In Mexico the companies that are recovered are the favorites of the government, and with the curse of the “llorona” we close this delivery.

The well of sealed BP
The States declared sealed the oil well of British Petroleum (BP) in the Gulf of Mexico, whose explosion five months ago provoked the greater ecological disaster in the environmental history of that country. However the procedure does not put an end to the legal and financial aspect of the case. The retired admiral Thad Allen, nominated by Washington to supervise the operations of control of the black tide, it said that the maneuvers to seal the well Macondo 252 were ended with success.

After an internal investigation, British Petroleum accepted its mistake and indicated that wishes to share this accident with their associates: Transocean and Halliburton. The administration of Obama does not discard to demand secularly to BP by virtue of the Law of Clean Water something which will permit to claim thousand 100 dollars per barrel or rather more than 5 billion of dollars. In August the government declared that until today add 68 thousand demands of particular and companies, to those which them has been given a response with an amount of 399 million of paid dollars. The government presented new procedures that compel to the companies of the item that operate in the Gulf of Mexico to seal definitely the wells inactive and to dismantle the abandoned platforms. (La Jornada, Opinion, p. 16, February 28, 2010)