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Exploration and Production in México: Challenges and Opportunities*
By
Alfredo E. Guzmán1
Search and Discovery Article #10022 (2001)
*Adaptation of presentation by Mr. Guzmán to Houston Geological Society and AAPG Prospect & Property Expo (APPEX), August 28, 2001. The PDF images of this article preserve the visual part of Mr. Guzmán’s presentation, and that version has independent search capabilities. Please NOTE that a click on a map or image where the cursor is represented by the hand with the pointed index finger will present an enlargement of the map or image; similarly a click on a cross section or seismic presentation will result in an enlargement of the desired feature.
1Exploration Strategies Coordinator, Pemex Exploracion y Produccion ([email protected])
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Low levels of investment in E&P in México in recent years have resulted in:
Pemex has built a large portfolio of upstream opportunities; nevertheless it lacks mostly capital to generate value from them. In order to benefit from these opportunities Pemex has been incurring in onerous debt; so now it is considering:
Pemex will not be privatized.
Fulfill the growing gas demand. Reverse the decline in light oil production. Maintain the heavy oil production.
Where are the opportunities? The basins are shown in Figure 13, and the locations of 2462 opportunities are plotted in Figure 14.
Productive basins/provinces 1) Sabinas 2) Burgos 3) Tampico 4) Misantla 5) Veracruz 6) Southeastern a) Salina del Istmo b) Reforma - Comalcalco c) Macuspana d) Litoral de Tabasco e) Sonda de Campeche Non-productive basins/provinces Mid - high potential 7) Sierra Madre Oriental 8) Deep Gulf of México Low potential 9) Sierra de Chiapas 10) California 11) Golfo de California 12) Chihuahua
Opportunities in Gas (Figures 15-25) Exploration of Sabinas – Tamaulipas (Figure 15) Development of Burgos (Figures 16, 17) Exploration of offshore Burgos (Figures 18, 19, 20) Exploration of the Sierra Madre Oriental foothills (Figure 21) Exploration and development of:
95,000 km2 Dry gas, since 1974 Cumulative production: 374 bcf 15 fields, 1 active (Merced) Reserves: 84 bcf 26,600 km 2D seismic Remnant potential evaluation (2001)
72,40 km2 (including offshore) Contiguous to Rio Grande embayment 194 fields, 84 active Cumulative Production: 6.5 tcf (since 1945) Reserves: 6.9 tcf
Pemex’s rejuvenation program 1994-2004:
Mesozoic folded thrustbelt Gas and light oil 1960’s undeveloped discoveries High risk – medium potential Cusiana analogy
22,000km2 (including offshore) Buried Mesozoic folded thrustbelt
Tertiary foredeep
Rejuvenation program (2000 – 2004)
13,000 km2 39 fields, 13 active Cumulative production: 5.32 tcf Reserves: 1.79 tcf Daily output: 137 mmcf (720 mcf, 1975) Rejuvenation (2000-2004)
7,400 km2 4,500 km2 3D seismic 16 fields, 3 active Cumulative Production: 131 mmbo, 278 bcf Reserves: 1.9 bbo, 3.7 tcf Daily output: 80 mb, 171 mmcf
Opportunities in Light Oil (Figures 26-33) Secondary and enhanced oil recovery Exploration of offshore Tampico (Figures 26, 27) Development of Chicontepec (Figure 28) Exploration of Salina del Istmo (Figure 29) Exploration of the Tertiary in Reforma - Comalacalco (Figure 30) Exploration and development of Litoral de Tabasco (Figure 31) Deep GOM basin (light oil?) (Figures 32, 33) Enhanced oil recovery projects--Additional recovery: 3.8 billion barrels oil equivalent. Capital expenditures: US$ 5.5 billion
50,000 km2 (including offshore) Provinces:
Daily output: 77,350 bod (600,000 in 1921) Reserves: 1,571 mmboe (w/o Chicontepec)
Paleocene - early Eocene foredeep turbidites OOIP: 139,480.3 mmb OGIP: 49.5 mm mmpc Reserves: 13,762 mmb, 26.2 tcf Cumulative production: 142 mmboe Light oil in northern sectors
15,300 km2 52 fields, 26 active Cumulative Production: 1,613 mmbo, 1.94 tcf Reserves: 743 mmbo, 696 bcf Daily output: 33.3 mbo, 44 mmcf
13,100 km² 1,574km² 3D seismic 75 fields, 57 active Cumulative Production: 6.6 bbo, 16 tcf Reserves: 4.9 bbo, 15 tcf Daily output: 549 mbo, 1.8 bcf
16 fields, 3 active Cumulative production: 131 mmbo, 278 bcf Reserves: 1.9 bbo, 3.7 tcf Daily output: 80 mb, 171 mmcf
530,200 km2 ( > 200 m) 34,000 km 2D seismic 1,362 km2 3D seismic Provinces: 1 Río Bravo Delta 2 Allochthonous Salt Belt 3 Perdido Folded Belt 4 Extension Belt 5 Mexican Cordillera 6 Deep Gulf saline 7 Campeche Scarp 8 Veracruz Canyon 9 Abyssal Plain Enormous potential - High risk Technology dependency Mid to long term Major capital-expenditure requirements
Opportunities in Heavy Oil (Figures 34, 35, 36) Optimization of onshore Tampico (Figure 34) Development - optimization of Ku - Maalob - Zaap Exploration of the Sihil play
Provinces:
Daily output: 77,350 bod (600,000 in 1921) Reserves: 1,571 mmboe (w/o Chicontepec)
15,500 km2, 3D seismic 100% 24 fields, 18 active Cumulative Production: 12.9 bbo, 7.9 tcf, Reserves: 19.9 bbo, 11.4 tcf Daily output: 1.995 mmbo, 799 mmcf
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Figure
2. Reserves bboe (01/01/01).
Figure 3. Crude oil production
(mbod).
Figure 4. Natural gas production
(mmscfd).
Figure 5. Sales revenues 1995 - 2000
(US$B).
Figure 6. Pemex E & P capital investment 1977 -
2001 (US$B).
Figure
7. Pemex E & P income and taxes (US$B).
Figure 8. Crude oil production costs
(USD/B).
Figure
9. Gas Production 2001 - 2010 (bcfd).
Figure 10. Natural gas demand 2000 - 2009
(bcfd).
Figure 11. Light oil production vs export demand
(MBOD).
Figure 12. Oil Production 2001 - 2010
(mbod).
Figure 13.
Oil and gas
basins of México.
Figure
14. Exploration opportunities--2462 opportunities.
Figure
15. Sabinas basin – Tamaulipas platform. Challenge: Rejuvenate
production, 38 opportunities.
Figure
16. Burgos basin, 257 opportunities.
Figure
17. Burgos basin. Challenge: Increase production beyond 1.4 bcfd.
Figure
18. Burgos basin contiguous areas. There are 95 opportunities
identified; the challenge is to have enough resources to invest in the
exploration and development. 
Figure
19. Burgos basin contiguous areas. Example: Delta Bravo.
Figure
20. Burgos basin contiguous areas. Example: Lamprea.
Figure
21. Sierra Madre Oriental foothills, 44 opportunities.
Figure
22. Veracruz basin, 204 opportunities.
Figure
24. Macuspana province, 225 opportunities.
Figure
25. Litoral de
Figure
27. Tampico - Misantla basin: Geologic settings for Jurassic test
(Espicula-1) and for Miocene test (Lankahuasa-1).
Figure
29. Salina del Istmo province, 302 opportunities.
Figure
30. Comalacalco – Chiapas – Tabasco province, 225 opportunities.
Figure
33. Deep Gulf of México basin. Examples of geologic setting.
Figure
34. Tampico - Misantla basin.
Figure
35. Sonda de Campeche province, 184 opportunities.
Figure 36. Sonda de Campeche province;
interpretive seismic section, along with the cross section through
Cantarell field shown in