Mexico's Pemex opens first US gas station

Mexico's state-run energy giant Pemex opened on Thursday its first gasoline station in the United States as it eyes a foothold in the neighboring country.

The station, the first of five planned as part of a pilot program, was inaugurated in Houston, Texas, the company said in a statement.

"This opening is part of a strategy by Pemex to expand into the United States," the statement said, adding that the pilot program will enable the company to measure the impact of its brand across the border.

Houston was chosen for the five stations because it has a large Latino population and is a highly competitive market, Pemex said.

Pemex held a monopoly of Mexico's oil and gas sector until President Enrique Pena Nieto signed a reform last year opening the energy market to private investors for the first time in 76 years.

Among other things, the reform will allow foreign companies to open gasoline stations in Mexico from next year.

Pemex has struggled with declining production for the past decade and the more recent drop in international oil prices has deepened its losses.