US natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico set a monthly high in June 2023
Published by Elizabeth Corner,
Senior Editor
World Pipelines,
US natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico averaged a record 6.8 billion ft3/d for June 2023, which is 0.1 billion ft3/d greater than the previous record set in June 2021, according to data from Wood Mackenzie.
Natural gas exports to Mexico surpassed 7 billion ft3/d on nine days in June, driven by higher-than-normal temperatures that increased demand for natural gas in Mexico’s electric power sector. US natural gas pipeline ex-ports to Mexico generally peak in the summer due to increased demand for electricity to power air conditioning. Mexico’s electric power sector consumption has grown by an average of 3% every year since 2018, according to data from Wood Mackenzie.
US natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico averaged 5.9 billion ft3/d in the first half of 2023, similar to the record-high average of 6 billion ft3/d in the first half of 2021. After declining in 2022, US natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico have returned to the highs of 2021.
In 2022, Mexico increased its domestic natural gas production by 14%, or 0.3 billion ft3/d, reducing natural gas pipeline imports from the United States. In the first half of 2023, Mexico’s domestic production did not in-crease from 2022, but demand did. To make up the difference, pipeline imports from the United States increased 3%, or 0.2 billion ft3/d.
US natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico have grown in recent years as the domestic pipeline network within Mexico continues to expand:
- In 2020, the Wahalajara system, a group of pipelines that connects the Waha hub in West Texas to Guadalajara and other population centres in west-central Mexico, was completed. The Villa de Reyes–Aguascalientes–Guadalajara pipeline system (0.9 billion ft3/d capacity), which connects to several other pipelines in Central Mexico, was placed in service that year. The Sierrita pipeline, which transports natural gas from Arizona to the Mexican border, was expanded by 0.3 billion ft3/d.
- In 2021, the Mier-Monterrey pipeline (0.2 billion ft3/d) was expanded. This pipeline delivers natural gas from US connecting pipeline NET Mexico in South Texas to the Monterrey Hub in northeastern Mexico. The Samalayuca-Sásabe pipeline (0.5 billion ft3/d capacity), which trans-ports natural gas from the Permian Basin in West Texas and eastern New Mexico to northwestern Mexico, entered service.
- In 2022, two more pipelines that deliver natural gas to Mexico’s capital city region went into partial service: the Tula–Villa de Reyes pipeline (0.9 billion ft3/d) is expected to begin full service in 2023, and the Tuxpan-Tula pipeline (0.9 billion ft3/d) is expected to begin full service in 2025.
- In 2023, the Cuxtal Phase II pipeline – the second segment of the Energía Mayakan pipeline – is expected to enter service. The Energía Mayakan pipeline expands the natural gas pipeline network on the Yucatán Peninsula.
Image: US-Mexico border-crossing natural gas pipelines and expansions for Mexico’s domestic pipelines.
Read the latest issue of World Pipelines magazine for pipeline news, project stories, industry insight and technical articles.
World Pipelines’ August 2023 issue
The August 2023 issue of World Pipelines includes a contractors’ focus, a keynote section on pipeline project management, and articles on construction best practice. We also cover inline inspection tools, pipeline services and surface preparation.
Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/23082023/us-natural-gas-pipeline-exports-to-mexico-set-a-monthly-high-in-june-2023/
You might also like
Pakistan and Turkmenistan agree to fast-track gas pipeline project involving Afghanistan and India
Pakistan and Turkmenistan has agreed to fast-track a major pipeline project that will allow the Central Asian state to supply natural gas to Pakistan and India via Afghanistan.