Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Mexico's president, faces an uphill battle in meeting production targets set in 2018
Letter from South America: Mexico plays catch-up
The country’s upstream strategy seems at odds with reality and will require an about-turn if there is any hope of meeting its production targets
Mexico is having an existential moment as an oil-producing nation. In 2018, President Andres Lopez Obrador announced an ambitious goal to boost oil production to 2.4mn bl/d and gas output to 6.6bn ft³/d (187mn m³/d) by 2024. This led to the identification of around 20 small and medium-size “priority fields” operated by NOC Pemex to help inject additional supply. But this campaign has suffered setbacks, with field development plans running behind schedule and volumes not deemed large enough to sustain output for long. Mexico’s oil production has continued to decline over the past six years, dropping from 2.52mn bl/d in 2013 to 1.68mn bl/d in 2019. And the country has only maintained similar l
Also in this section
1 April 2026
Golden Pass’s startup offers QatarEnergy a timely boost but may also force a difficult choice between honouring disrupted contracts and capitalising on soaring spot LNG prices
1 April 2026
It is not a case of if or when, but the length and magnitude of economic damage from elevated oil prices
1 April 2026
The US-Iran conflict demonstrates the need for diversification in several senses of the word. It also exposes the limits of Washington applying pressure on major oil and gas producers it considers geopolitical adversaries
31 March 2026
Disappointing results in its bidding round are a reality check for Libya, and global exploration generally
