The dependence that Mexico has on American natural gas continues to rise, since, between January and March of this year, the country imported 5,894 million cubic feet of this product per day, which represented an annual increase of 6.9 percent, according to data from the Energy Information Administration of USA.
This is the largest volume of natural gas imports from the United States for a similar period since records exist.
So far this year, the United States has exported, globally, 21,817 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, of which 56.7 percent is sold through ships and trucks and 43.3 percent is supplied through ducts.
Of the exports that the United States makes through ducts, the 62.4 percent are destined for Mexicowhile the remaining 37 percent is distributed to Canada.
The United States natural gas market has begun to diversify its businesses, since while in 2016, it sold up to 60 percent of its natural gas to Mexico, currently, the Mexican market only represents 27 percent of its exports. , since it has begun to sell to European and Asian markets.
Among the countries to which the United States sells the most natural gas are the Netherlands (12.8 percent of the total), France (12.3 percent), the United Kingdom (8.1), Spain (6.6), Turkey (6.4), Japan (6.3 ), South Korea (5.1), Germany (4.5), Italy (4.1), China (3.7), among others.
Local natural gas production plummets
In April 2024, the country's natural gas production registered an annual drop of 14.6 percent, with a total of 3,756 million cubic feet per day, which represented its lowest level since April 2021, according to data from the Commission. National Hydrocarbons (CNH).
Around 95 percent of this production is contributed by Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) while the rest is contributed by private companies.
The field that contributes the most to national natural gas production was Quesqui, with 585 million cubic feet per day, followed by Ixachi (505), Akal (185), Maloob (163), Onel (135), Tupilco Profundo (105) , Koban (98), Xux (88) and Teotleco (72).
These new fields alone provide 52 percent of the country's natural gas production.
