Natural gas production in Mexico averaged 4.05 Bcf/d in March, up from 3.84 Bcf/d in the same month a year ago.
State oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) supplied 3.81 Bcf/d of the total, versus 3.64 Bcf/d in March 2021, according to the latest data from upstream regulator Comisión Nacional de Hidrocarburos (CNH)
Production by private sector operators, meanwhile, rose to 238.8 MMcf/d from 205.1 MMcf/d, CNH data show.
Mexico met 87% of its natural gas needs with imports in December, the latest month for which CNH data is available. Pemex consumes most of its own natural gas production for use in activities such as refining and reinjection into oil wells.
The country’s oil output totaled 1.63 million b/d in March, down from 1.7 million b/d in the year-ago month. Pemex oil production fell sequentially for the sixth straight month to 1.53 million b/d, compared to 1.64 million b/d in February 2021.
Private sector oil production showed the opposite trend, rising for the seventh straight month sequentially to 97,106 b/d, up 67% year/year.
Shallow water Areas 1, 2 and 4 were among the leading production areas for private sector operators, along with the onshore Santuario and El Golpe fields.
The contracts for each of these assets were awarded under the framework of Mexico’s 2013-2014 constitutional energy reform, which opened the upstream segment to private investment.
Operated by Italy’s Eni SpA, Area 1 contains the Miztón, Amoca and Tecoalli fields. Eni this month announced that the first oil cargo from the Miamte floating, production, storage and offloading platform was successfully offloaded and exported. “This achievement marks an important milestone for the oil and gas sector in Mexico,” management said, making Eni “the first international energy company to develop a complex offshore project…able to export the oil to [the] international market.”
The milestone comes 3.5 years after Eni took a final investment decision on the project.
“This fast-track development has been possible thanks to the full alignment between the Mexican government, the relevant local authorities and Eni,” the company said.
The Miamte FPSO has an oil treatment capacity of 90,000 b/d, oil storage capacity of 700 bbl, and natural gas treatment capacity of 75 MMcf/d. Area 1 oil production reached an all-time high of 18,881 b/d in March.
Area 2, meanwhile, is operated by Hokchi Energy SA de CV. As is the case with Area 1, the exploration and production contract for Area 2 was awarded in Mexico’s Round 1.2 shallow water tender in 2015.
Oil production from Area 2 averaged 17,303 b/d in March, up from 1,832 b/d in March 2021.
Also awarded in Round 1.2 was shallow water Area 4, which contains the Ichalkil and Pokoch fields. Russia’s PJSC Lukoil completed its acquisition of a 51% operated interest in Area 4 in late February.
The asset, which achieved first oil in November 2021, produced 22,702 b/d in March.
The Santuario/El Golpe onshore asset, originally awarded to London-based Petrofac under Mexico’s oilfield services contract migration scheme, is now operated by European independent Perenco, and produced 17,069 b/d in March.
Source: Naturalgasintel.com
