PEMEX: In one year, fuel theft was reduced by 91%: Romero Oropeza

Pemex issued the following announcement on Jan. 7.

The general director of Petróleos Mexicanos, Octavio Romero Oropeza, presented this morning to the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the results, advances and goals of the Joint Plan to Combat Oil Theft, through which in one year it has been achieved a 91 percent decrease in the volume of stolen fuel, with savings of 56 billion pesos in pipelines and 1,900 million pesos in liquefied gas.

As part of these actions, with the support of the Sedena, a total of 13,016 clandestine intakes in hydrocarbon pipelines were disabled in 2019 and 8.3 million liters of fuel were secured, as well as 3,800 land vehicles and 66 vessels. Likewise, 51.5 kilometers of colchacrete were laid in 4 pipelines with high incidence and alert systems were installed in 308 kilometers of pipelines.

Romero Oropeza said that the Financial Intelligence Unit filed 21 complaints with the Attorney General's Office for alleged money laundering for fuel theft. Likewise, 811 accounts linked to the huachicoleo that amounted to 466.6 million pesos and 28 thousand dollars were blocked. 36 hearings were presented before administrative authorities for tax fraud.

In this regard, he informed that 345 investigation files, 535 people linked to the process, 422 convictions, 562 people sentenced and 332 arrest warrants were integrated.

The owner of Pemex reported that currently the theft of fuel is 5 thousand barrels per day, equivalent to 15 million pesos and the plan sets the goal for this 2020 to reduce this figure to 2,500, as well as prohibit the sale of valves used to the clandestine shots and place colchacreto along 175 kilometers over the pipelines.

The general director of Pemex informed that another of the goals for this year established in the Joint Plan to Combat Oil Theft, indicates an increase in the volume transported in pipelines from 817 thousand to 950 thousand barrels per day. The alert system will also be installed along 1,300 kilometers of pipelines.

In his presentation, the head of Pemex commented that actions were promoted for the reconstruction of the social fabric in coordination with different secretariats of State, through 12 comprehensive programs for the development of 91 municipalities in 9 states, establishing priority objectives that favored 2.9 million inhabitants, deterring the theft of fuel by spending 9,733 million pesos.

Likewise, 81 municipal Civil Protection councils were established in areas of incidence of hydrocarbon theft to implement preventive measures that safeguard the integrity of the population.

Finally, Romero Oropeza recognized all the units that participate in this Joint Plan, such as: Sedena, Semar, Segob, SSPC, SFP, SHCP, Sener, Profeco, Sat, Financial Intelligence Unit, National Intelligence Center, the System National Civil Protection and Legal Counsel of the Presidency of the Republic, which has yielded positive results for the benefit of the State's productive company.

Original source can be found here.