At the opening of the “Mexico-Argentina Seminar on Natural Gas, Compressed Natural Gas and Secondary Recovery", the Secretary of Economy, Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, said that "the basis for entrepreneurs can invest, grow, create jobs and we can continue repositioning Mexico as a platform in the world, through new doors and relationships, are being created”.

He said that "Today, as a mature country, we know that the Mexican foreign investment is the spearhead of the interests of Mexico".

He commented that in 2028, the consumption of Mexico, in terms of natural gas, is estimated at 12 billion cubic feet per day, and meet this demand requires great efforts. "Within the projects of the National Infrastructure Plan, there are consolidated 18 projects to be completed by 2018 for six thousand linear kilometers that will enable us to bring gas to many places that did not have the possibility of industrial development before".

Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal said that "now, for us, it is crucial to understand that the Energy Reform gives us new opportunities for participation in gas: marketing, besides the business opportunity that now reflects the possibility of storage, transport, distribution and marketing, are fields that were not previously allowed for the Mexican private sector".

He added that "the gas is, undoubtedly, a key opportunity to give greater competitiveness and productivity not only for the energy sector but for all sectors that impact the value chain".

The Secretary of Economy said on secondary recovery opportunities, currently with the known deposits in the national territory, it is estimated a volume of oil of about 265 million barrels, which are being removed only 16 percent, mainly through conventional techniques.

He stressed that one of the constants of the President of the Republic has been reset a deep relationship with Argentina; regain confidence in Brazil; resume a policy of rapprochement with Asia; and reestablish the relationship with China, with whom we certainly have some trade disputes, but the potential for the future is high, since it represents the second world power and Mexico cannot ignore this strategic relationship.

Máximo Vedoya, CEO of Ternium Mexico, stressed "the importance of the Energy Reform for Mexico, which will have a profound impact and of a very long-term for the competitiveness, which has been an extraordinary success of the government".

He noted that "Mexico and Argentina share the need to strengthen its industrial base, making joint efforts between governments and the private sector to try to empower the small and medium-sized enterprises”.

The Minister of Industry of Argentina Débora Giorgi, said that the resources that represent opportunities for both countries are: development of binational suppliers, the replacement of imports from third origins, reciprocal investments, agreements between "anchor companies", diversification of bilateral trade, transfer, use of technology and standardization and harmonization of standards; and, technical requirements. In this regard, he stressed the Latin American potential in gas and hydrocarbons.

She explained that in the field of energy “there is much to do and with these meetings progress is made, because there is something very important: will of state, but, in particular, the creativity of men of small and medium-sized enterprises and of contractors involved in these rounds of negotiations".

For his part, the Undersecretary of Industry and Trade of the Secretariat of Economy (SE, by its initials in Spanish), Rogelio Garza Garza, said that the panels and workshops will take place in the seminar "will serve as a suitable space to explore the prospects and opportunities technology offers the use of compressed natural gas in the automotive industry, a sector that has witnessed a rapid development in recent times in our country; as well as the applicable regulatory framework in Mexico for that purpose".

The event was attended by Celina Villarreal Cárdenas, Secretary of Economic Development of Nuevo León, representing the Governor Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz, as well as the Chief of the SE in Nuevo León, Enrique Martínez y Morales.

Subsequently, the Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal held a dialogue with the Minister of Industry of Argentina, Débora Giorgi.