Mexico‘s National Refining System (SNR) oil processing in 2023 averaged 792 Mbd (thousands of barrels per day).

This volume represents a year-on-year decline of 2.9%, according to Pemex.

Mexico’s SNR is made up of six Pemex refineries:

• Antonio M. Amor (RIAMA) in Salamanca, Guanajuato.
• Lázaro Cárdenas in Minatitlán, Veracruz.
• Héctor R. Lara Sosa in Cadereyta, Nuevo León.
• Antonio Dovalí Jaime in Salina Cruz, Oaxaca.
• Francisco I. Madero in Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas.
• Miguel Hidalgo in Tula, Hidalgo.

According to Pemex, the drop in oil processing is explained by the rehabilitation works scheduled for the second half of the year. 

Crude oil processing

During 2023, the Tula, Salina Cruz and Minatitlán refineries stood out for their operational performance, with crude processing levels of 191 Mbd, 178 Mbd and 116 Mbd, respectively.

At the end of 2023, the system’s six refineries were operating normally, with crude processing of 823 Mbd in December, and in January-February 2024 there was an increase in processing to around 950 Mbd.

Heavy crude processing at the reconfigured refineries averaged 235 Mbd, a decrease of 12.6% from 2022, as a result of planned rehabilitation work at the combined plants of the Madero and Minatitlán refineries. 

Currently, processing at these refineries is above 110 Mbd and 120 Mbd respectively, representing the best annual results since the end of 2015.

SNR’s primary distillation capacity utilisation averaged 48.3 per cent. 

The Tula and Salina Cruz refineries were above the average obtained at SNR, recording average utilisation of 60.6 per cent and 54.0 per cent, respectively.

Regulation

The Hydrocarbons Law and the Hydrocarbons Revenue Law regulate activities ranging from exploration, extraction and refining to distribution, storage, sale and marketing of hydrocarbons and allow Mexican and non-Mexican investors to participate in the bidding process for the exploration, production and transportation of oil and gas. 

These laws allow the government to assign oil and gas exploration and extraction activities to private oil and gas companies, in addition to Pemex, which was reorganised into a productive state-owned entity through the constitutional energy reform passed in 2013.