MEXICO CITY: Mexico's energy secretary Rocio Nahle said on Saturday that President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's newly installed administration would cancel two bidding rounds for oil and gas areas scheduled for February.Lopez Obrador, who took office on Dec. 1, has sharply criticized the landmark energy opening enacted by his predecessor, President Enrique Pena Nieto, whose government planned the February auctions.
The new president previously said he would suspend future oil auctions pending a review of the more than 100 contracts already awarded, but has not detailed what would become of the auctions planned for February.
Nahle told reporters at an event in the state of Chiapas on Saturday that two bidding rounds would be canceled, including those for 37 onshore blocks and 9 unconventional and conventional areas, including shale resources.
She did not address auctions for partnership rights for seven onshore joint venture contracts with national oil company Pemex, which are also scheduled for February.