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Pemex production harmed by late payments to providers, sources state

Mexican state energy company Pemex had its crude oil production hit since it keeps accumulating debt with its provider, two sources said, a circumstance that has forced it to openly repeat twice this week that the debts would be paid.

While Pemex has actually not published its latest figures for crude oil and condensate output, information from the hydrocarbon regulator showed previously today that production for both fell 6%. year-on-year in April to 1.75 million barrels daily (bpd).

Petroleum production alone was 1.47 million bpd, the lowest. output for the business in 45 years.

Among the sources said that Pemex not paying its service. providers was one of the main reasons that impacted output over. the past couple of months, followed by an accident on an. offshore platform in April.

Pemex never ever gave information of the accident although . reported a preliminary decline of 20,000 bpd.

In its newest financial obligation report, Pemex noted pending payments. worth about $8.82 billion since completion of April. The number. does not consist of taxes, amounts in still litigation or those in. settlement talks.

In its first-quarter results, Pemex had listed $21.9 billion. in pending payments. It later reported that it had actually paid $6. billion in the meantime.

None of these numbers include the $101.5 billion financial. financial obligation, which is mostly held in the kind of bonds.

Among the sources said that as an outcome of not getting paid. for their services, some companies stopped working for Pemex. either partially or entirely. The source did not reveal. names.

It was also unclear which business Pemex owed one of the most.

Pemex did not respond to an ask for remark.

In public files it has actually listed Dowell Schlumberger. , Halliburton, Baker Hughes, Weatherford. and Sinopec as some of the hundreds of companies it. owes.

While the second source validated this, they added that some. payments would be arranged and once business receive them they. would return to work and production would pick up in May.

Earlier this year, a number of market groups representing. company in addition to personal producers sounded alarm. that production, financial investment and in many cases even the survival. of companies were at risk.

Pemex had resumed some payments in February, preferring larger. companies at the expense of others.

Late on Wednesday, Pemex provided a declaration pledging to pay. its financial obligations and highlighting that it had actually been paying in between 39. billion pesos ($ 2.34 billion) and 70 billion pesos per month. given that the start of the year.

On Thursday, Pemex doubled down with another declaration in. which it vowed to pay 70 billion pesos in May.

Mexico holds a basic election on June 2, and President. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been eager to show that his. policies have actually helped the ailing state company over practically six. years in office, which his follower would continue to do so.

Claudia Sheinbaum, the candidate from Lopez Obrador's ruling. National Regrowth Motion, has actually been leading most polls by a. substantial margin.

Under Lopez Obrador, Pemex got monetary lifelines in. the form of cash injections and tax cuts of about $90 billion.

(source: Reuters)