This was announced by the President-elect of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, who with this appointment completes the announcements of key figures in the energy sector for the next administration.
Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum appointed Víctor Rodríguez Padilla as the new CEO of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) on Monday for the start of her six-year term in October.
The academic and researcher from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) joins Sheinbaum's cabinet as the new head of the Mexican oil company with the challenge of helping with the energy transition and keeping the indebted state company afloat.
The country's next president stressed that Rodríguez Padilla has been a constant defender of state-owned energy companies, such as Pemex and the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), opposing their privatization.
“(In the New York Times , this weekend) it says that they are leaving us a terrible company, in the worst conditions; it is absolutely false and evidently we have to guarantee a base production and work for the energy transition. If we have worked on this in recent years, now we are going to work on it as a team with Luz Elena (González, next Secretary of Economy) coordinating CFE, Pemex and other important areas,” commented the next president of the Republic.
“I would like to thank the president-elect, Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum, for the great opportunity she has given me to participate in her government team, specifically in Petróleos Mexicanos, the largest company in the country and, above all, the company of all Mexicans,” said Rodríguez Padilla.
The next official is a physicist and holds a Master's degree in Energy Engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, as well as a PhD in Energy Economics from the University of Grenoble, France, and has postdocs from the Institute of Energy Economics and Policy, France, and the National Institute of Scientific Research, Quebec, Canada.
With the appointment of Rodríguez Padilla, the announcements of key figures in the energy sector for the next administration are completed, along with those of Luz Elena González Escobar as the next Secretary of Energy and Emilia Esther Calleja Alor as the next head of the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).
How is the Transition going?
Claudia Sheinbaum also said that the transition process at Pemex has already begun, and that Octavio Romero, the company's current director, will remain on the government team in a new role that will be announced soon.
He also stressed the importance of coordination between Pemex, the CFE and other areas of government to ensure stable energy production and advance the country's energy transition.
One of the most indebted oil companies in the world
The support that the current government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador has given to Pemex, until the first half of this year, amounts to 2.1 billion pesos. During the current administration, the government has supported Pemex, one of the most indebted oil companies in the world, in various ways to try to solve its financial situation.
In the first half of this year, Pemex's total gross financial debt was 1.83 trillion pesos, equivalent to 5.3% of Mexico's GDP, and 3.2% lower than the previous year, according to data from the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO).
On several occasions, Rogelio Ramírez de la O, head of the Treasury Department and who will repeat his position in the Sheinbaum administration, has said that the government will continue to support Pemex; however, he has admitted that the restructuring of the oil company's debt will take several years.
Pemex would enter the lithium business
The president-elect is analyzing options that will allow the state-owned company to diversify its sources of income. Sheinbaum Pardo said at the end of July that she is already analyzing the issue with the person who will be the next Secretary of Energy, Luz Elena González.
Pemex could enter the lithium mining industry with the help of state-owned company LitioMx as a way to diversify its business and gain new sources of income.
