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U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry Will Meet With Mexican President

MEXICO CITY — Mexico and the United States have a tight energy relationship. Most of Mexico’s natural gas comes from the United States, and American states like California and Texas rely on Mexican power.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry will visit Mexico City on Thursday. He will meet with his Mexican counterpart, Pedro Joaquín Coldwell, as well as with President Enrique Peña Nieto.

Perry will discuss energy reforms in Mexico. And there’s a long standing agreement to buy electricity on parts of the border, something both countries want to expand on.

“Mexico and the United States are highly integrated, very dynamic energy powerhouse by themselves,” said Jonathan Pinzón, an energy expert in Mexico City and partner in Zumma consulting firm.

According to Pinzón, the secretary’s visit to Mexico will help develop projects that Perry himself witnessed as governor of a border state. The three key aspects in the relationship between Mexico and the United States on energy are oil, natural gas and electric power.

“There’s currently discussions about a new electric interconnection between Sonora and Arizona, where it makes more sense to have a more direct and more constant trading power,” Pinzón said.

Mexico’s energy reform will attract more U.S. investors, as piped oil and gas continue their flow from American soil.

Rodrigo Cervantes was KJZZ’s bureau chief in Mexico City from 2016 to 2021.