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
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
14 January 2026
Chavez’s socialist reforms boosted state control but pushed knowledge and capital out of the sector, opening the way for the US shale revolution
