AMLO sends shortlist for CRE commissioner; CNH continues without sessions due to lack of commissioners

The federal Executive sent to the Senate of the Republic a shortlist for the election of one of the two missing members of the government body in the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE). Said position will be held until 2030, if any of the following candidates is elected by two thirds of the Plenary of the Upper House: Walter Julián Ángel Jiménez, Alfonso López Alvarado or Víctor David Palacios Gutiérrez. Meanwhile, the National Hydrocarbons Commission (CNH) continues with a governing body with only three commissioners, without sufficient quorum to meet.

The CRE is one of the regulatory bodies of the energy sector that, in the 2014 reform, obtained its own law, technical and budgetary autonomy, and is structurally treated as a Secretary of State, which is accountable to the Executive -the Secretary of Energy- without being a decentralized that receives direct orders, but without being an autonomous body that reports directly to Congress. The CRE It is in charge of regulating through permits and supervision of their compliance all the activities of electricity and the midstream and downstream of hydrocarbons, except the importation for which permits are issued directly by the Ministry of Energy (Tendons).

The other regulator in this position is the National Hydrocarbons Commission (CNH) which is also in charge of authorizations for activities, but in the upstream part or exploration and production of hydrocarbons. Both regulators have seven commissioners elected by an absolute majority of the Senate, in a process similar to that of senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in which the Executive sends a short list that is submitted for discussion in Commissions to be later voted on in Plenary Session. the upper house.

All approvals from regulators must go through their governing body, which must have at least four commissioners to meet. However, since the departure of Alma América Porres last December, the CNH was left with only three commissioners, for which reason it issued an emerging Agreement for essential matters, since its governing body cannot meet.

The CRE It has five commissioners, plus the one who comes out of the shortlist presented on March 3, who would occupy the position left by Luis Gabriel Pineda, who was the only commissioner elected in the last administration and concluded his seven-year term last December.

Alejandro Armenta Mier, president of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Senators, received the official letter from the federal Executive to begin the election of the commissioner of the CRE that will come out of this list.

“I allow myself to send that Sovereignty the original of the communiqué through which the President of the Republic, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, submits for the consideration of that Legislative Body, the short list that contains the names of the people proposed for the appointment of a commissioner in the Energy Regulatory Commission, whose term will end on December 31, 2030”, according to the official letter signed by the head of the Interior, Adán Augusto López.

According to industrialists, the one with the greatest possibilities of occupying the position is Walter Julian Angel Jimenezwho holds the position of director of Clean energies of the Secretary of Energy and was put in the position by the present administration.

The candidacy of Alfonso Lopez Alvarado, who is a Chemical Engineer from the Michoacana University of San Nicolás de Hidalgo, has master’s studies in Chemical Engineering from UNAM, as well as master’s studies in administration from the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico. He currently works as general director of Petroleum Contracts of the Ministry of Energy.

However, on two occasions his candidacy for a position on the governing body of the CREas president of the same, where in both votes he lost against the current president of the regulator, Leopoldo García Melchi.

The name of Victor David Palacios Gutierrez, Chemical Engineer from the Autonomous University of Puebla and current General Director of Gas and Petrochemicals of the Ministry of Energy. This candidate also lost last January to occupy the presidency of the CRE for the second time by García Melchi.

According to the Law of Coordinated Regulatory Bodies in Energy Matters, the candidates will be summoned to appear before the Legislature to determine their suitability to fill the position, and the new president of the regulator can be chosen from among these three applicants, or the legislators they can ask for a new list.

karol.garcia@eleconomista.mx

kg