Mexico's state-owned Pemex is offering 200,000 metric tonnes (t) of petroleum coke from its Tula refinery in two 100,000t lots, but a 25,000 t/month withdrawal cap for each transport mode could raise costs for buyers seeking to export the product.
One 100,000t lot must be withdrawn by truck and the other by rail. Each lot is tied to a single withdrawal mode, and bidders cannot split a lot between truck and rail.
Pemex said truck loading at the refinery operates 24 hours a day and can handle the 25,000 t/month allocation. The rail lot will be loaded at the nearby Bulkmatic terminal in Atitalaquia, in Hidalgo state, which Pemex said has sufficient siding capacity for 25,000 t/month and is served by the Kansas City Southern de Mexico railroad company.
Prospective bidders questioned the withdrawal limit during the tender's clarification process. They said bulk maritime petroleum coke cargoes typically exceed 25,000t, requiring exporters to accumulate product for more than a month and increasing storage, handling and financing costs. They also said the roughly four months between the 12 October contract-signing deadline and the 12 February 2027 final withdrawal date leaves little room for operational, logistics or weather disruptions.
Pemex confirmed that the 25,000 t/month withdrawal limit applies separately to each transport mode — truck and rail — while buyers must still withdraw each full 100,000t lot by 12 February 2027. The company said the product's final destination and associated costs are outside the scope of the tender, but that it would consider the recommendation for future sales.
Pemex launched the competitive sale on 21 September. Commercial bids were due on 28 September, with bid opening and selection scheduled for 29 September. Contracts are expected to be signed by 12 October, with the volumes to be fully withdrawn by 12 February 2027.
Pemex did not disclose current petroleum coke inventories or expected monthly Tula production when bidders requested the figures, saying only that inventory is sufficient to cover the volumes offered.
