LatAmOil: Mexico’s president says Olmeca refinery has begun producing gasoline

Mexico’s largest and newest oil-processing plant has begun turning out petroleum products, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced.

Speaking on September 1 during the presentation of an annual report on his administration’s performance, Lopez Obrador said the Olmeca refinery was due to begin commercial operations later in the day.

“Today, petroleum products will begin to be produced at the new Dos Bocas refinery,” he reported, referring to the facility by the name of the port in Tabasco State where it was built.

Pemex, the national oil company (NOC), marked the official launch of the plant in July 2022 following a long series of delays and cost overruns, even though it was not truly ready to begin production. Mexican officials said at the time that they expected to launch commercial operations before the end of the year, but Pemex has missed several deadlines. (It did finally receive its first shipment of crude oil feedstock in July 2023, however.)