Trion, Mexico's first ultra-deepwater project, reaches 71% progress and holds to 2028 target

The Trion project, Mexico's first ultra-deepwater development, reached 71% physical progress at the close of September, up from 64% in the previous quarter, according to the third-quarter report from Woodside Energy, the field operator with a 60% stake. Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) holds the remaining 40%.

The field lies in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico about 180 kilometers off Tamaulipas, and the start of crude production is planned for 2028, according to El Universal. For the region, Trion is the test of the partnership model with an international operating partner in a block discovered by Pemex in 2012. The development spreads technical and financial risk between the state company and outside capital, in a reservoir that operates at a greater offshore depth than the shallow-water fields of the Gulf.

As of September 30, 10 of the 24 planned wells had been drilled and the first subsea production tree had been installed. Fabrication of the floating production unit (FPU) stands at 96%, with integration work and pre-operation testing under way; the subsea equipment and the disconnectable mooring buoy have already arrived in Mexico. Woodside recorded capital spending of 267 million dollars between July and September, and 713 million accumulated for the year, against 698 million in the same period of 2025. The investment figure differs across publications: El Universal cites close to 7,200 million dollars of capital, while other outlets report estimates above 11,000 million. Woodside chief executive Liz Westcott said the company maintains its goal of starting production in 2028.

The field is designed to produce around 100,000 barrels of crude per day at its installed capacity. In September, Woodside and Pemex signed a non-binding memorandum to evaluate opportunities in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Next up will be Woodside's fourth-quarter production report, which will show whether FPU integration is advancing and whether the schedule toward first production holds.

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