Mexico’s natural gas production averaged 4.3 Bcf/d in 2023, the highest full-year figure since President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, aka AMLO, took office in December 2018.

The amount was up from 4.09 Bcf/d recorded in 2022, and 3.81 Bcf/d in 2019, data from upstream regulator Comisión Nacional de Hidrocarburos (CNH) show. 

Crude oil production, meanwhile, averaged 1.65 million b/d, the second-lowest total of the López Obrador era.

The discrepancy between gas and crude is largely due to state oil company Petróleos Mexicanos’ (Pemex) development of the Quesqui and Ixachi onshore gas fields, discovered in 2019 and 2017, respectively. 

Quesqui was Mexico’s leading gas producing field in December at 638 MMcf/d, while Ixachi placed third with 375 MMcf/d.

Although...