Dos Bocas Output Rises to 248,000 Barrels per Day in August

The Olmeca refinery at Dos Bocas, in Paraíso, Tabasco, processed an average of 248,000 barrels per day of crude in August, up from 141,000 in June, when it operated at 41% of its design capacity of 340,000 barrels due to scheduled maintenance, according to Pemex figures published by El Imparcial on August 30.

In her second government report on September 1, President Claudia Sheinbaum said the refinery has allowed Mexico to absorb rising fuel prices and supply shortages hitting much of the world due to conflicts in the Middle East, according to Forbes México. Pemex's July indicators, published this week, rank the plant as the highest-output facility in the country's refining system, accounting for 27.1% of the 744,800 barrels per day of gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel produced by the country's seven refineries, according to El Financiero.

Pemex clarified that the 41% figure in June reflected scheduled maintenance and incidents, within a plant stabilization process, and does not imply a permanent loss of capacity, according to El Imparcial. The project's cumulative cost exceeds $21 billion, roughly 2.6 times the original budget of $8 billion, according to figures from that source. Mexico imports more than 60% of the fuel it consumes, according to El Financiero; an analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), cited by the same outlet, estimates that the country accumulated $2.5 billion in additional costs from gasoline imports between March and August 2026, the second-largest impact in the world, behind only Indonesia, at $2.6 billion.

In the report, Sheinbaum announced that the Tula coker unit will be completed this year and the Salina Cruz unit in the first half of 2027, to boost production of diesel and low-sulfur gasoline, according to Forbes México. Pemex's September indicators will reveal whether Dos Bocas can sustain August's output level.

This article was drafted with artificial intelligence assistance from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.