US Natural Gas Exports to Mexico Reach Record High
From Oil & Gas Journal
US natural gas exports to Mexico grew by 24% to 1.69 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) in 2012, the highest level since the data collection began in 1973. With imports now accounting for more than 30% of its total supply, Mexico’s natural gas use is also at its highest level ever.
Natural gas consumption is rising faster in Mexico than natural gas production, and as a result, Mexico is relying more on natural gas imports from the United States. Between 2007 and 2011, natural gas consumption in Mexico rose 4% per year on average, while average annual natural gas production climbed only 1.2%. Growing demand in the industrial sector drove the increases in natural gas consumption in Mexico to a record-high level in 2011, according to Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX)—the state-run oil and natural gas producer in Mexico.
Before 2006, nearly all of Mexico’s natural gas imports came from the United States. More recently, Mexico has diversified its supply sources by importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Nigeria, Qatar, Indonesia, Peru, and Yemen, although the vast majority of the country’s natural gas imports continue to come from the United States.
