As the second largest oil and gas company in Mexico, Fermaca consists of a large group of multidisciplinary professionals dedicated to the development of new projects in the energy sector and as a purely, one hundred percent Mexican company they represent a fresh way of doing business in the country. This new approach impacts not only the industry they’re in but the hundreds of thousands of people working within and upon its periphery.

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“Fermaca is a highly active company dealing within the energy sector providing solutions predominately for natural gas,” Alvarez explains.

Along with this they also provide for other traditional hydrocarbon fuels and by leveraging the experience from their plethora of professionals working within their country they are able to develop projects from conception all the way through to construction.

A pioneer in the energy sector, Alvarez explains that Fermaca have established themselves as the leaders in the private market transportation of natural gas, “We currently own and operate a pipeline in the Palmillas-Toluca region, in central México and are finalising construction of another pipeline in the Chihuahua corridor,” he says.

Their position ahead of their competition in the private market has come about through an ongoing focus to respond adequately to the demands of their clients and the challenges presented to them with each new project.

An important thing to keep in mind with pipeline activities is that problems and issues can soon escalate from a small issue to a major catastrophe at a startling rate and this is why Alvarez insists on working with only the best. The Pipeline in Palmillas-Toluca and the currently developing pipeline in the Chihuahua corridor are safeguarded by a team of highly specialized personnel with extensive experience in operating the finest in automated control systems known as SCADA, Supervisory, Control and Data Acquisition.

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Leading this business and therefore in charge of the interest of Fermaca’s twelve hundred employees and countless customers is Chief Executive Officer, Fernando Calvillo Alvarez.

TerminalsAs important as the pipelines are the terminals are equally as

crucial. In response to the demands of the Mexican energy sector Fermaca has undertaken a number of strategic joint ventures and partnerships with international market leaders in the construction and operation of terminals. Alvarez tells us that these terminals play an important role in fuel management with their fuel storage facilities and that, “Such endeavours are in keeping with our vision and the company ethos of providing innovating solutions to further enhance the Mexican energy sector,”

He also adds that Fermaca is developing an LPG transport system to supply the Mexican market through an extensive business network with gas from the United States that is transported by sea to the end client. This adds credence to Mexico’s overall move towards a more sustainable and eco-aware energy provision.

EngineeringHaving been founded in 1962 the scope of Fermaca’s expertise

goes far beyond merely facilitating piping projects and engineering has become a mainstay of their business offerings. Now, their current objectives is specifically to design, plan and manage engineering projects in Mexico, “We have participated in great infrastructure dedicated projects in our country that have offered essential services in real estate, LPG storage plants, electric power generation, compression stations and pipelines for natural gas,”

As with all aspects of his company Avalrez is adamant and resolute on ensuring a total cohesion when it relates to their engineering projects, as an integral part of the business they combine a number of standalone services including conclusive feasibility studies, surveying, environmental impact and risk analysis and the full management, procurement and maintenance of Rights of Way.

The Right of Way is a legal permit that allows a portion of land which is owned privately, communally or publicly, which, in usual circumstances, has limited rights, to be used temporarily so that infrastructure can be built. It also involves the fair compensation of the land owners and furthermore, specifies the rights and obligations of the owners of the land to protect the future integrity of the project.

Through Fermaca’s broad experience in the field of energy, we are able to acquire the Right of Way (ROW) for any project and have a team of specialised personnel dedicated to ROW acquisition.

“Land ownership is often very difficult to establish in remote regions,” Alvarez says, “Our highly experienced ROW [Right of Way] team plays a fundamental role in identifying owners and subsequently setting into motion the legal processes, which include, acquisition, registration and the Integration and Management of Licenses and Permits,”

The extensive experience with local and federal regulations have

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ensured Fermaca’s success in obtaining the necessary permits from the various regulatory agencies and it must be remembered these are in the benefits of the land owners. The ROW parameters cover the legal rights of construction, the laying and maintenance of all types of communication channels, as well as any electrical lines that are within the area of the project. This being said, the paperwork and legal permits need to be completed by a competent team which is something that Fermaca focusses on.

The first step includes reviewing governmental documents and environmental regulations. It also involves reviewing completed studies on multiple aspects of nature, for instance, wildlife, soil, water, geology, climate and so on.

Socio-economic aspects like population and their activities are also evaluated and Fermaca makes use of official documents produced by certified agencies. Once all the documents and studies have been reviewed, the project is analysed and an assessment on feasibility is made. If any aspects of the project are unfeasible, alternatives are sought.

The second step is to produce a manifest of the environmental impact, this detailed document follows a strict format and outlines all the impact a project will have on the environment. The third

and final step is to determine mitigating measures and to establish a monitoring program which ensures that damage to the environment is kept to a minimum.

“The Right of Way is an essential step in engineering and construction projects,” Alvarez points out, “And Fermaca has developed multiple projects in all states of the Mexican Republic and the infrastructure has improved numerous lives.”

ProcurementProjects of the scale that

Fermaca undertakes, are no small affair and reliable procurement is a fundamental step in the implementation of any project.

This includes the management of supply processes of the requirement materials, as well as the acquisition of construction and maintenance services.

The quality and efficiency of Fermaca’s services have once again put the company on a pedestal within their industry and the activities range from detailed engineering, analysis of records, cost and projections, negotiations with clients and the importation and inspection of supplies.

Project experience has proven of great benefit to the company over the years and allows them to devise effective and successful procurement systems based on supplier

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selection, assurance of timely delivery and administration of key processes.

One of the key suppliers that have worked with Fermaca for many years and share in their attention to quality and accountability is family owned company Grupo Desarrollo Infraestructura S.A. de C.V. who provide construction services, products and aggregate materials to business owners, general contractors, government agencies and real estate developers .

New DevelopmentsAll of this comes together to paint a current picture of what

Fermaca is up to for the future and currently there is a focus on the £150 million Compression Station at Soto La Marina Project which is in construction phase and due to be completed in December this year, also the initiative to explore further the recently completed Palamara Pipeline Project and the upcoming 3rd Generation Gas Pipeline projects which could involve a potential $1 billion dollar US investment.

“To coin a phrase, the pipeline is looking very good,” Alvarez concludes.

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Grupo Desarollo Infraestructura is a 100% Mexican company with more than 11 years experience in engineering, procurement, construction, transport and the production of aggregates at both national and international levels, under the highest standards and certifications - ISO 9001, ISO 14000 and OSHAS 18000. GSI contributes to creating opportunities for growth in the areas where it operates, involving local communities through consultation.