Warning signs for Pemex refinery deal
Political downstream agenda and company track record cause unease over Texas refinery purchase
The $596mn acquisition of Shell’s Texas Deer Park refinery by Mexican NOC Pemex is facing increased political hostility in the US after Republican Congressman Brian Babin filed a letter of complaint to Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm calling on the deal to be annulled. Babin expressed concerns with the firm’s lack of operational expertise and highlighted potential security risks associated with a foreign state-owned business holding strategic control of US assets. If finalised, Pemex would take a 100pc stake in the refinery, giving the company access to 340,000bl/d in downstream processing capacity. None of Pemex’s six existing Mexican refineries has the operational complexity of Deer
Also in this section
4 December 2025
Time is running out for Lukoil and Rosneft to divest international assets that will be mostly rendered useless to them when the US sanctions deadline arrives in mid-December
3 December 2025
Aramco’s pursuit of $30b in US gas partnerships marks a strategic pivot. The US gains capital and certainty; Saudi Arabia gains access, flexibility and a new export future
2 December 2025
The interplay between OPEC+, China and the US will define oil markets throughout 2026
1 December 2025
The North African producer’s first bidding round in almost two decades is an important milestone but the recent extension suggests a degree of trepidation






