• REACTION A high level US diplomat decried Monday the possibility that Mexico’s state-owned petroleum company, Pemex, could get operational control of Zama oilfield in the Gulf of Mexico developed since 2017 by a private consortium of firms led by Houston-based Talos Energy
• DISTURBING “We’re very willing to defend these investments. We’ve raised these issues with the Government of Mexico. The development you’re talking about is a disturbing development”, said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Diplomacy, Kurt Donnelly, during an event in Washington.
• SIGNS Given that Pemex controls an adjacent area to Zama and that it’s likely that both fields share oil deposits, both parties have engaged in meetings to determine who would eventually take operational control of field. Analysts have questioned whether Pemex has even needed capabilities.
• KEY CAMP According to an assessment by Germany’s Wintershall DEA -which along with Great Britain’s Premier Oil are also part of the consortium- Zama is one of the most important shallow water discoveries of the past 20 years globally containing up to 800 million barrels of oil.
