Pemex and the CSIEE Contracts https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-19/mexico-plans-to-continue-oil-hedge-for-next-year-herrera-says
CSIEE Contracts
Herrera also said that Mexico is willing to adjust tax levels to make new exploration and production integrated service contracts more attractive for companies. The hope is that the contracts, known as CSIEE, will allow Pemex to incorporate private companies in fields where it has marginal operations, he said.
CSIEEs are expected to contribute $5.8 billion over four years, according to Pemex’s business plan, which analysts say is not enough to move the needle on 15 years of oil production declines and debt that is now the highest of any major oil company.
“If they’re not attractive, they’ll have to be reviewed,” Herrera said, referring to the contracts. “What we need to do is make changes to the tax treatment for the fields that need them. And this will change the profitability of these fields.”
On speaking to management last week I asked what they knew about the CSIEE’s and he said nobody in the private sector is really interested in these contracts. They are not profitable and it is not the taxes that make them so unattractive as the caps on profitability. Pemex /Govt has a cap on what the contractor could earn. He said nobody wants to put up the amount of risk capital required to redevelop any of these fields and have a cap on earnings or profitability. Why take all the risk, put up all the money for a minimal return.
The way they are structured Pemex will have very few if any of these contracts so won’t be making the $5.8 Billion they expect to make over the next 3-4 years according to the Pemex business plan.