In 2021, Pemex‘s exploration drilling activity focused on the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico and onshore regions and development drilling activity focused on increasing crude oil and associated gas production in 12 new offshore fields.
These marine fields are Cheek, Itta, Koban, Mulach, Manik NW, Octli, Pokche, Tlacame, Tlamatini, Tetl, Xolotl, Yaxche.
Exploration drilling was also carried out at the Tupilco Profundo, Quesqui, Cibix and Ixachi onshore projects.
In nominal peso terms, the company’s capital investments in exploration and production activities increased 25.4% in 2021.
As a result of these investments, Pemex’s total hydrocarbon production reached a level of approximately 903.1 million barrels of oil equivalent in 2021.
In addition, its crude oil production increased 2.9% from 2020 to 2021, averaging 1,735,700 barrels per day in 2021, mainly as a result of the development of its new Cheek, Itta, Koban, Mulach, Manik NW, Octli offshore fields. , Pokche, Tlacame, Tlamatini, Tetl, Xolotl, Yaxche and Tupilco Profundo, Quesqui, Cibix and Ixachi onshore field projects and overhauls, improvements and diversification of artificial systems in its other onshore fields that helped maintain production levels.
Exploration
The exploration and production segment operates through the productive state-owned subsidiary Pemex Exploration and Production and explores and produces crude oil and natural gas, primarily in the northeastern and southeastern regions of Mexico and offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.
On the other hand, Pemex’s natural gas production (excluding natural gas liquids) decreased 1.9% from 2020 to 2021, averaging 4,670.5 million cubic feet per day in 2021.
This decrease in natural gas production was mainly due to the decrease in volumes at Cantarell, Ku-Maloob-Zaap, Tsimin-Xux Projects, Crudo Ligero Marino, Macuspana Integral Basin and Ogarrio-Sánchez Magallanes and Burgos Basin.
Exploratory drilling activity increased 88.2% from 2020 to 2021, from 17 exploratory wells completed in 2020 to 32 exploratory wells completed in 2021.
In turn, development drilling activity decreased 23.5% from 2020 to 2021, from 166 development wells completed in 2020 to 127 development wells completed in 2021.
In 2021, Pemex completed the drilling of 159 wells in total.
Before 2021, the company planned to invest in 3 new developments, one of them in shallow water and two fields on land.
Pemex indicated that it will continue with the development of the other 24 of the 26 fields that it has been developing during 2019 and 2020, since Jaatsul and Hok are no longer under development.
Throughout 2021, it incorporated the Paki shallow water fields and the Racemosa and Tupilco Profundo onshore fields into its development plan, bringing our total investment in new developments to 27 fields, 21 in shallow waters and 6 onshore.
As of December 31, 2021, the company had started production in 24 of these 27 fields. These 24 fields had an average production of 221,200 barrels per day of crude oil and 567.8 million cubic feet per day of natural gas in 2021.
