Mexico details US$9.8 bln in pipeline and electricity project tenders

Mexico's national electricity company CFE said on Monday it will tender 24 power projects, covering major natural gas pipelines to electricity generation and distribution, worth a combined investment of 150 billion pesos ($9.79 billion).

The projects aim to enable Mexico to import more bountiful and cheap natural gas from the United States via both onshore and offshore pipelines, given output from Mexican national oil and gas company Pemex has not kept up with demand over the past decade.

The plan, parts of which have previously been announced, also involves nine electricity distribution projects designed to lower Mexico's long-standing high rate of power theft, plus another four power generational projects.

The electricity generation plants will tap wind, combined-cycle natural gas, geothermal and as well as internal combustion systems