Pemex Triples Estimate for 'Most Important Onshore Field in 25 Years'

Pemex Triples Estimate for 'Most Important Onshore Field in 25 Years'
Pemex has more than tripled its estimated reserves in its Ixachi field.

(Bloomberg) -- Pemex has more than tripled its estimated reserves in its Ixachi field.

The company now believes the onshore field in Veracruz contains 1.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent in proven, probable and possible, or "3P," reserves, Petroleos Mexicanos exploration chief Jose Antonio Escalera said Tuesday at a press conference in Mexico City. Pemex expects the field to reach 80,000 barrels a day of condensate production and 720 million cubic feet per day of gas production by 2022.

“Without doubt this news will allow Pemex to contribute with more production in the future and stabilize the production platform,” Chief Executive Officer Carlos Trevino said. “I am confident the next administration will value this discovery a lot.” Trevino is due to step down from that role as President elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador takes office Saturday, having pledged to revive Mexico’s state-owned oil company.

The field is currently producing about 2,000 barrels a day of condensate, Escalera said. The company is expecting 5,000 barrels a day of condensate and 30 million cubic feet a day of gas by the end of 2019.

Ixachi is the most important onshore field in 25 years, Escalera said.

Pemex has struggled to increase its crude production, which is heading for a 14th consecutive year of declines. It’s target for output in 2018 is about 1.8 million daily barrels, down from a previous target of 1.95 million barrels a day. In 2019, it expects to pump more than 1.8 million barrels a day, Trevino said.

The estimated investment to develop Ixachi field is 30 billion pesos ($1.47 billion) for 40 wells, Trevino said.

The Ixachi announcement comes a month after Pemex said it had found light crude in the shallow water Manik and Mulach oil wells in the Southeast Basin in the Gulf of Mexico, an area estimated to hold 3P reserves of more than 180 million barrels. Pemex’s Xikin-1 and Esah-1 fields are expected to begin production in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

To contact the reporter on this story: Amy Stillman in Mexico City at astillman7@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Marino at dmarino4@bloomberg.net Mike Jeffers, Catherine Traywick.



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