Mexico’s gov’t pumps $5 bn in capital into Pemex

The federal government said Wednesday that it was pumping $5 billion in capital into Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), bolstering the balance sheet and providing the state-owned oil company with financial stability.

“The government of Mexico will contribute equity in the national currency equivalent to $5 billion to Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex),” the Finance and Public Credit Secretariat said in a statement.

The move is part of “efforts” by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador ‘s administration to ensure Pemex’s financial stability and “improve its profitability and strategic contributions” on a long-term basis to the Mexican economy, the secretariat said.

“The equity contribution will be funded with financial assets deposited in the Treasury of the Federation. Pemex will use these funds to reduce its debt along with measures that the company will announce soon to cut debt and improved its maturity profile,” the secretariat said.

The equity infusion will not have an “impact on the net debt” of the public sector, the secretariat said.

Pemex said in a statement released at almost the same time that the $5 billion in capital provided by the federal government would be used “for the prepayment of bonds in the short part of the curve with maturities between 2020 and 2023.”

The state-owned oil company also said that it issued seven-, 10- and 30-year bonds in transactions on international markets on Wednesday, refinancing short-term debt amid the equity injection from the Treasury.

“Finally, Pemex will launch an exchange offer to the effect of providing additional support to maturities in the short, intermediate and long part of the curve, in order to improve the company’s amortization profile,” the company said in a statement.

Pemex said “t is anticipated that this transaction will have participation of investors from the United States, Europe, Asia and Mexico. Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Citi, HSBC, Mizuho, Crédit Agricole and Bank of America will act as bookrunners.”

Pemex is carrying total debt of more than $104 billion and has another $64 billion in pension obligations, accounting for 20 percent of Mexico’s debt.

Lopez Obrador, who took office on Dec. 1, 2018, has vowed to fix Pemex’s problems and make Mexico energy self-sufficient.

On July 16, the administration presented the Petroleos Mexicanos Business Plan, which included an 11 percent tax cut for the company and a capital infusion to bolster the balance sheet.

The business plan also calls for building a new refinery, but analysts contend that Pemex needs to expand exploration in deepwater areas to boost oil production, which has fallen to 1.64 million barrels per day (bpd). EFE