Devil in the detail for Mexico power sector reform

The deregulation of Mexico’s state-dominated electricity sector is sparking enthusiasm among international energy firms eager for investment opportunities. But many challenges remain as regulators create the country’s new wholesale gas and power markets, Alexander Osipovich finds

In the 1930s, Mexico became one of the first countries in the world to nationalise its energy sector, creating state-owned monopolies in petroleum and electricity that would play a dominant role in the Mexican economy for decades. But in the past year, the country has dramatically changed course, passing laws to deregulate its electricity market and expose its state-owned behemoths to private