Mexico's oil production drops to its lowest level of the year in November
Mexico's production levels of liquid hydrocarbons and natural gas fell in November to the lowest recorded all year, and were well below the averages for last year. Official numbers published by regulator showed. The country has missed its 1.8 million barrels per day crude oil and condensate production target twice in November. President Claudia Sheinbaum had promised to keep this goal for the six years of her term. The numbers released late Monday show that Mexico produced 1.747 millions bpd liquid hydrocarbons in November. 1.488 billion bpd was crude oil, and 259,000 bpd was condensate.
NOIA Reacts as BOEM Announces Next Steps for GoM Oil & Gas
National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) President Erik Milito issued the following statement after the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for oil and gas leasing in the Gulf of Mexico:"We are pleased to see BOEM finally moving forward with the next step toward the first Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease sale of the 2024-2029 offshore leasing program. This is not just about securing a lease sale in 2025; it's about affirming the Gulf’s pivotal role in bolstering our energy security…
EIA reports that US oil production fell by the most in September since January.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) data showed that the crude oil production in the United States fell by 157,000 barrels a day (bpd), month-over-month, to 13,20 million bpd during September. This was the biggest decline since January. As Hurricane Francine, and Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Gulf of Mexico in September, many oil and gas facilities were forced to close for extended periods of time. EIA data released on Friday showed that output from the U.S. Gulf of Mexico offshore fell by 12% in September, to 1,58 million bpd. This is the lowest level in three years.
Hurricane Rafael has caused a shutdown of 17% of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico Oil Production
The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement announced on Wednesday that Hurricane Rafael had shut down approximately 17% of crude production and 7% of gas output in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The Bureau reported that energy producers have shut down 304,418 barrels of oil per day and 131,000,000 cubic feet of gas production from Gulf waters. According to the latest U.S. National Hurricane Center advisory, Rafael, a hurricane of Category 3, was located approximately 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of Havana, Cuba. It had maximum sustained winds (185 kph) with 115 mph.
Deep sea oil drilling drillers are now subject to new safety regulations in the US
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, or BSEE, released new rules on Tuesday for U.S. off-shore drillers. This is because breakthrough technology allows them to operate in extreme subsea conditions and unlock untapped oil reserves worth billions of dollars. BSEE final rule was issued after Chevron, in August, started production on its Anchor asset. It is owned by TotalEnergies and it was the first project ever to operate with 20,000 pounds per sq inch (PSI) pressure. The reservoir depths reached 34,000 feet (10.363 m).
New Mexico considers oil drilling restrictions which would reduce output and revenue
New Mexico is the second largest oil producer in the U.S. A leading economist released this week a study about potential drilling restrictions. The study showed that they could affect up to 5,4% of the future crude production and cost billions in revenue. The study evaluated the setback proposals that were made during the legislative session of 2024, which would limit how close operators could drill to certain environmental and structural areas. These setbacks are designed to protect the public against oil and gas pollution. The topic was complex and needed more time for evaluation and analysis than what we provided in the session. Ismael T.
New Mexico considers oil drilling restrictions which would reduce output and revenue
New Mexico's chief economic officer said in a recent report that the state is currently studying new drilling restrictions. These could affect up to 5.4% its future crude production and cost the state billions in revenue. The study looked at proposed setbacks, or restrictions on how near operators can drill certain structures and areas of the environment. These are meant to protect people from oil and gas contamination. Ismael T. Torres is the chief economist for New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee. He says that in 2026, the setbacks analyzed in this report will take place and more than one-third of new wells won't be put into production.
Sources say that the incoming Mexican government wants to open Pemex up to oil partnerships.
According to four sources with knowledge of the situation, the incoming Mexican government will encourage the state oil company Pemex, to form equity partnerships with private oil firms, a model that is not popular with the president. This move is to increase reserves in the face of a massive debt. These partnerships will be similar to previous Pemex joint-ventures with private oil companies, known as "farm-outs", that Mexico pursued via an energy reform implemented a decade earlier. This reform allowed oil regulators to allow private and foreign oil firms to partner with Pemex in exploration and production.
Mexico's Pemex to Receive $313 mln in Hedge Payouts
Mexican state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) expects this year to receive some $313 million from oil and financial firms involved in its annual oil hedging program, Chief Executive Octavio Romero said on Wednesday.Pemex's hedge, which this year covers about a quarter of its gross exports volume, protects the company from price variations and helps it to cover production costs.A larger hedging program contracted by the government secures the oil revenues needed for the federal budget.Pemex is "partially" covered by its hedging program…
Drilling Ban Proposals Divide Democrats
In the southeast corner of New Mexico, new houses, hotels and jobs are sprouting like flowers in the desert. Trucks hauling equipment and laborers jam once-barren highways on the way to thousands of oil rigs.The Democrats who control the state's government have lofty plans for the billions of dollars in projected tax revenues from the drilling industry in the Permian Basin, the world’s biggest oil field, starting with an overhaul of New Mexico's ailing public education system. The biggest threat to those plans, however, may…
W&T Strikes Oil in US Gulf of Mexico
Oil and natural gas producer W&T Offshore has discovered oil at the Gladden Deep prospect in Mississippi Canyon block 800 in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.W&T is operator of the well, which is one of 14 planned for the drilling program under the Monza JV. The company owns a 17.25% interest in the discovery.Gladden Deep is located in approximately 3,000 feet of water and was drilled to a total measured depth of 18,324 feet and encountered 201 feet of net oil pay. This single-well completion is expected to be brought online through…
Natural Gas Flaring Hits Record High
As spot prices in the region have remained near or below zero, natural gas flaring and venting in the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico reached a new all-time high in the first quarter of 2019, averaging as much as 661 million cubic feet per day (MMcfd).According to research conducted by Rystad Energy, this widespread waste of a valuable commodity is the result of persistent infrastructure challenges, a lack of sufficient takeaway capacity and an unexpected outage on a key pipeline in the area.“We anticipate that basin-wide flaring will stay above 650 MMcfd before the Gulf Coast Express pipeline comes online in the second half of 2019…
Gulf of Mexico Oil Production Hits Record
Oil production in the US Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is poised to set new records in the imminent future, said Rystad Energy.Royal Dutch Shell started producing oil and gas this month at its Appomattox platform in the deepwater GoM several months ahead of its expected startup in 3Q 2019, the energy research and business intelligence company said.“With earlier than planned production, Appomattox will be a key growth contributor to help push US Gulf of Mexico oil production toward a new record high before year-end,” says Joachim Milling Gregersen…
Environmental Activists Block BP London HQ
Greenpeace activists blocked the entrance to BP's London headquarters on Monday, demanding one of the world's biggest energy companies ends all new oil and gas exploration or goes out of business.Greenpeace activists arrived at the building in St James' Square in central London at 0200 GMT and encased themselves in specially designed containers to block all of the main entrances.A team of activists abseiled from the top of the building and placed huge letters over the windows reading 'CLIMATE EMERGENCY'."BP is fuelling a climate emergency that threatens millions of lives and the future of the living world…
Investors Push BP to Fight Climate Change
BP will face pressure at a meeting next week to set tougher targets to combat climate change, the latest signal from investors that they want the oil and gas industry to do more to clean up its act.After BP's 2018 carbon emissions rose to their highest in six years, the London-based major is being lobbied by activists and an increasing number of shareholders to ensure its operations are in line with goals set by the 2015 Paris climate deal to curb global warming.BP has already backed a resolution being put to investors on Tuesday for it to be more transparent about its emissions…
Mexico Targets 50% Jump in Oil Output
Mexico aims to lift oil and gas production by almost 50 percent in the next six years and in January will award infrastructure and drilling contracts to develop 20 fields, state oil firm Petroleos Mexicanos said on Saturday.Octavio Romero, chief executive officer of the company generally known as Pemex, said the new government would increase exploration investment by around 10 percent annually to reverse dwindling output as he presented a new plan for the industry.President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office on Dec.
U.S. Oil Firms Restoring Operations in Storm-tossed Gulf of Mexico
Oil producers on Thursday were checking Gulf of Mexico production platforms and beginning to return crews to more than 90 offshore facilities evacuated this week as Hurricane Michael moved through the Gulf.Production shut-ins that temporarily halted 42 percent of Gulf oil output and nearly a third of natural gas production was restarting in some areas.BP Plc conducted its first flyovers on Wednesday to check the status of four platforms that were evacuated, said spokesman Jason Ryan.Restarting production can take several days. Producers lost about 1.7 million barrels of oil through Wednesday as a result of shut-ins and the figure is expected to rise.
GoM Offshore Platforms Evacuated Ahead of Hurricane
Energy companies on Monday halted nearly a fifth of Gulf of Mexico oil production and evacuated staff from 10 platforms as Hurricane Michael intensified and headed for a path up the eastern U.S. part of the Gulf.BHP Billiton, BP, Equinor and Exxon Mobil Corp were evacuating personnel from oil and gas platforms in the Gulf as forecasters predicted the storm would become a Category 3 hurricane.Companies turned off the daily production flow of 324,190 barrels of oil and nearly 284 million cubic feet of natural gas at midday, according to a survey of producers.
Mexico Must Boost Oil Exploration to Halt Output Fall -Pemex
Mexico will need to double to about $4 billion its annual oil exploration investment to reverse a 14-year decline in output, a move that will require more funding by Pemex and private producers, a top official with the state-run firm said Friday.The nation's oil industry needs Petroleos Mexicanos to invest more than $2.5 billion per year and another $1 billion to $1.5 billion from private companies to fully replace its reserves, Jose Antonio Escalera, the firm's chief of exploration, said at an energy conference in Acapulco.Pemex this year expects to invest about $1.65 billion, roughly the same as 2017.
Gulf Platforms Shut ahead of Hurricane
U.S. oil prices edged up on Tuesday, rising back past $70 per barrel, after two Gulf of Mexico oil platforms were evacuated in preparation for a hurricane.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $70.04 per barrel at 0034 GMT, up 24 cents, or 0.3 percent from their last settlement.Anadarko Petroleum Corp said on Monday it had evacuated and shut production at two oil platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico ahead of the approach of Gordon, which is expected to come ashore as a hurricane.International Brent crude futures…
