Pemex Vented 778 MMcfd of Gas in Q2 2026, a 99% Year-on-Year Increase

Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) vented an average of 778 million cubic feet per day (MMcfd) of natural gas during the second quarter of 2026, a 99% increase over the same period in 2025, according to Bloomberg Línea. The flaring represents 19% of the company's total gas production.

The company attributed the increase to insufficient infrastructure for handling gas from the onshore Ixachi field, along with maintenance work at the Papán metering station, process restrictions from high hydrogen sulfide content at the Cactus and Nuevo Pemex complexes, and limited transport capacity on the Quesqui 4-Jujo pipeline. The figure carries strategic weight for the region: Mexico purchases more than 70% of the natural gas it consumes from the United States, and that fuel generates more than 60% of the country's electricity. Associated gas flaring at fields like Ixachi continues while the national electricity system (SEN) remains dependent on Permian gas arriving by pipeline from Texas, one of the central links in the energy corridor between the U.S. Gulf and Mexico.

The first-half cumulative flaring represented an estimated commercial loss of 6,800 million pesos, according to El Diario de Chihuahua. According to estimates by Ramsés Pech, director of consulting firm Caraiva y Asociados, the flaring is equivalent to the emission of approximately 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Pemex's total gas production averaged 4,000 MMcfd at the close of June, 11% higher than a year earlier. According to El Financiero, in the same period the company recorded hydrocarbon production of 2,447 thousand barrels of crude oil equivalent per day (Mboed), 4.6% more than in 2025, and financial debt of 77,500 million dollars, 9.1% lower than at the close of 2025.

Two days after releasing its results, Pemex announced the closure of the Krem-1 well in Veracruz, following nearly five months of fire. The next benchmark will be the third-quarter report, which will show whether Ixachi's infrastructure reduces flaring and, with it, dependence on imported gas.

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