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Ed_White's avatar
Ed_White
Explorer
Mar 11, 2017

Pemex Diesel Fuel Update

There is some important new information to share regarding the availability of ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel) in Mexico.

Over the past month (February 2017) I kept pestering a half dozen public relations people at Pemex until one of them finally replied. He sent me 176 pages of information, listing every Pemex station, by number, that carries ULSD. He also sent me a Spanish copy of the latest legislation on this subject.

The Mexican Government has at last placed a date on 100% conversion to ULSD. By December 31, 2018 every Pemex station in Mexico must be carrying ULSD.

There are other things happening too. It looks like 3 of Mexico's refineries are now producing ULSD, and a fourth should be on line later this year.

In addition, Pemex has been required, since 2016, to ensure that ULSD is available at Pemex stations along all of the major transportation routes used by truckers. This means, for example, that the Pemex stations on the main highway passing through places like Mazatlan, or Puerto Vallarta, or Guadalajara must carry ULSD, while the Pemex stations in downtown areas, or away from the highway, may still be carrying Mexican LSD.

This is a very exciting development, because it means that owners of late model diesels can now be fairly confident that ULSD is being carried at all Pemex stations along major routes.

Also, I am happy to look up specific Pemex station numbers on my Master List to see whether a particular station is designated as an ULSD station. (I would release the list publicly but I am not sure that I am authorised to release it publicly).

As always, I am happy to act as a resource for owners of late model diesels. Contact me by email at whitetmp@aol.com
  • dkilley's avatar
    dkilley
    Explorer
    Mar 11, 2017
    Great news for sure. I looked at virtually every Pemex station on the way down to Puerto Vallarta and not one of them showed ULSD on their sign. I wonder if some do have it, just not advertised. I no longer need it for my RV as I downsized and went with older unit that did not need it. Thanks for sharing this ED it is appreciated.
  • Ed_White's avatar
    Ed_White
    Explorer
    Mar 11, 2017
    No Pemex stations have the UBA sign yet for their diesel, and I wouldn't expect the attendants to know ANYTHING about the fuel, so looking at signs or asking at the stations is typically not productive. It is Pemex policy not to place ULSD signage (UBA) on any station until EVERY station has UBA.

    I have personally drawn fuel samples at several stations in the Northern Baja and had them tested in the USA. They were all ULSD from the USA or Japan, which is consistent with the Pemex official information, even though no stations have UBA signs.

    At this point in time I am confident that the stations list and information about main transportation routes is reliable.
  • moisheh's avatar
    moisheh
    Explorer
    Mar 11, 2017
    Sounds like good news. But why would you believe that the major stations along that route have ULSD? Other than a few tourists no one in Mexico requires ULSD. If they did how would they know the station carries ULSD? mexico signed on to having ULSD many years ago but did nothing. I would not believe that the refineries were producing ULSD unless I saw it with my own eyes. Pemex is out of cash and most of the contractors have not been paid. many of the projects are on hold. Why would they make sure that ULSD was along the truck routes? No trucks sold in Mexico require ULSD. BUT good news is that BP has opened their first station near Mexico City. They will carry only USA fuels. Will have a pipeline and a fleet of trucks. They hope to open 1500 stations in the near future. Pemex is so corrupt you cannot trust them to tell the truth. I do commend you for getting some information.

    Moisheh
  • path1's avatar
    path1
    Explorer
    Mar 11, 2017
    Somewhere in those 176 pages if you see any fuel spec's, would you post it?

    Would be interesting to see what micron Mexico filters down to and what "HFFR" and "cloud point" is.

    Sort of wondering if they end up with same spec's as US side or their own blend.


    Thanks
  • Ed_White's avatar
    Ed_White
    Explorer
    Mar 11, 2017
    path1, there ARE specs in amongst the paperwork I received. I'm away from our winter home for a few days but I'll look it up once I'm back and will post the information.

    moisheh has always criticized my posts since I began providing accurate and reliable information more than 8 years ago, so I'm not going to bother wasting my time responding to the statements in his post.
  • MEXICOWANDERER's avatar
    MEXICOWANDERER
    Explorer
    Mar 11, 2017
    All of DF and all of estado de México must have 100% compliance with UBA avaiability or any announcement from Petroleos Mexicanos or Partidad Reglas Impuestos is so much hot air.

    A thorough search of Mexican media is needed to discover news articles that state Diesel Ultra Bajo Azufre is available in those two (states). ANSIPA is the federal Mexican agency responsible for oversight in the hydrocarbon industry. Both the federal government and Pemex has been caught issuing propaganda to such a degree as to make any announcement worth double checking. Strike that...triple checking. UBA in 2011, 2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017, now 2018.

    What IS law, and what has teeth is the hard and fast requirement that Mexico City is numero uno. Period. Until I see credible proof that UBA exists in 100% of the gasolineras in Mexico DF I remain suspicious.

    I would LOVE to see UBA availability if indeed it is fact. Make no mistake about it. I would also love to see any official news that countermands Pemex' long-standing promise to not allow so much as a single gasolinera to advertise Diesel UBA until every last gasolinera in Mexico has availability.

    "If no one would believe him if he said he had an airplane then he would say he knows someone with two" Mexicans did not coin this phrase for the heck of it.
  • path1's avatar
    path1
    Explorer
    Mar 11, 2017
    Ed White wrote:
    path1, there ARE specs in amongst the paperwork I received. I'm away from our winter home for a few days but I'll look it up once I'm back and will post the information.

    moisheh has always criticized my posts since I began providing accurate and reliable information more than 8 years ago, so I'm not going to bother wasting my time responding to the statements in his post.


    Thanks... Subscribed
  • Ed_White's avatar
    Ed_White
    Explorer
    Mar 11, 2017
    Mexicowanderer, the data I received from Pemex completely explains something I couldn't understand this winter season - places which usually report lots of sulfur-in-fuel related issues, with many owners needing rescues, haven't reported a single case this year. This includes Puerto Vallarta, Lo de Marcos, San Miguel, and Mazatlan. Now that I have the Pemex list of stations carrying ULSD I can see that these places all have ULSD at the stations on the main highways.

    In additoon, using Google Earth, I have located a number of stations randomly picked along main highways leading to Mexico City, used Streetview to look at the Pemex sign, recorded the number and then checked the Pemex list they sent me. Bingo - those stations are on the list, but not the stations a few blocks off the main highway.
    This provision was put in place mainly for truckers so that modern delivery trucks, presumably from the USA, are able to access ULSD while in Mexico.

    Pemex's information about refineries already converted to produce ULSD is confirmed in new articles in the Oil and Gas Review. The Oil and Gas Review reveals which contracts were let for de-sulfur plants and the timeline. I'll happily post links after I return to Los Barriles in a few days.
  • moisheh's avatar
    moisheh
    Explorer
    Mar 11, 2017
    ED: There are no USA trucks travelling south in Mexico. Once in awhile there are some specialized low boys and similar trailers carrying a large tank or some other huge piece that originated in the USA. But rare. Usually a Mexican truck picks up the trailer at the border. Have you ever seen a US plated Class 8 truck deep into Mexico? Not a truck with plates from both countries. Just USA! There also may be some smaller trucks such as media satellite trucks. I do not know what happens when the NASCAR trucks get to the border. Do they switch tractors or use the USA truck? But none of the above would cause Pemex to have that fuel everywhere. I doubt any large carrier ( Swift,Werner,etc.) would take a chance on using fuel that is either LSD or contaminated with LSD. Many of the US carriers are either partnered with a Mexican firm or they simply bought a Mexican company. They have huge yards on the US side of the border and either cross dock the goods or drop the US trailer for a Mexican tractor.

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