Mexico’s upstream regulator, the National Hydrocarbons Commission, announced rules to govern deepwater drilling within the nation’s territorial waters.
The new regulations, published in Tuesday’s edition of El Diario Oficial — the Mexican equivalent of the Federal Register — are intended to prevent Macondo-like accidents and spills.
In a statement, the commission said the rules apply to all drilling in depths of 500 meters or more.
State-owned Pemex has to provide the commission with proof that it has the operational capacity and necessary infrastructure for deepwater drilling, whether directly or by means of contractors.
The state company will also be required to provide sufficient insurance and prepare procedures in order to cope with any emergency.
The new rules are being published just when Pemex is launching its most ambitious effort to drill in Mexican territorial deep waters, including in 2,800 meters some 18 miles south of the US border and within the Perdido Fold Belt.
The commission was formed as part of the energy reform approved by the Mexican Congress in late 2008. Before then, Pemex regulated itself in upstream matters.
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