29 October 2017, Mexico City — Mexican national oil company Pemex reported on Friday that September crude production fell 18 percent from the same month last year, marking three consecutive months with oil output coming in below 2 million barrels per day.
September output averaged 1.73 million b/d, down from 1.93 million b/d in August.
Natural gas production also slipped in September for Pemex, officially known as Petroleos Mexicanos. The company averaged 4.302 billion cubic feet per day, down more than 23 percent from September 2016.
Crude exports followed the downward trend in September, sinking nearly 19 percent to reach 1.159 million b/d.
Pemex’s crude production has fallen steadily since its peak of 3.4 million b/d in 2004.
Seeking to reverse the stubborn output slump, a sweeping oil opening finalized in 2014 ended the company’s decades-long monopoly and allowed private producers to operate their own fields for the first time.
Through the first nine months of this year, average crude production stands at 1.97 million b/d.
*Julia Love; Editing: Nick Macfie – Reuters
