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Mexico expropriates Air Liquide hydrogen plant

Mexico expropriated a. hydrogen plant at a Pemex state oil refinery that a previous. administration sold to French firm Air Liquide, the. government announced in a main gazette on Thursday.

Mexican authorities purchased a short-term occupation of the. facility in December and in February declared the U-3400 system at. Pemex's Tula refinery in Hidalgo state a public great, preparing. for its formal expropriation.

The decree contacts Pemex to compensate Air Liquide, however. does not detail the amount. Paris-based Air Liquide did not. immediately respond to ' request for remark.

Oil refineries utilize hydrogen to lower the sulfur material in. petroleum products, specifically diesel, and Mexico's federal government. had actually cited risks to motor fuels production at the Tula refinery. due to the third-party supply of hydrogen.

The federal government of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has. worried the need to cut reliance on imports and make sure the. nation's energy sovereignty, focusing industrial control. in the hands of Pemex in addition to state power business CFE.

Under his predecessor, nevertheless, Pemex's refining arm had. signed a 20-year contract with Air Liquide in 2017 to provide. hydrogen for Tula's operations in a quote to lower costs and. improve performance.

The Tula center, located in central Hidalgo state north of. the Mexican capital, is Pemex's second-largest refinery. currently in operation.

(source: Reuters)