Mexico's crude oil exports to the U.S. in the month of September this year reached its lowest level since 1990, the U.S.' Energy Information Administration (EIA) said Friday.
'In September 2015, monthly U.S. crude oil imports from Mexico totaled around 0.6 million barrels per day (bpd), [577,000 bpd], the lowest level since 1990, and a decrease of about 50 percent since January 2011,' the EIA said.
This level was 816,000 bpd in September 2014, 1.1 million bpd in September 2010, and 1.4 million bpd in September 2000, according to the EIA data.
Moreover, the U.S. administration noted that oil production from Mexico's largest oil field Cantarell has decreased significantly in the last years. Noting that most of Mexico's exports are heavy crude, the EIA said this type of oil volumes sent to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries have fallen in recent years, since the new U.S. infrastructure allowed more volumes of Canadian heavy crude to reach those refineries.
But, while Mexico's heavy crude exports to the U.S. have fallen, the country has begun selling additional volumes of crude to Asia -- mostly India, which is followed by South Korea and Japan.
In addition, Mexico has also increased exporting light crude oil to European countries as well, such as Spain, Italy, France, and the Netherlands, according the country's national oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), said the EIA.
By Ovunc Kutlu
Anadolu Agency
ovunc.kutlu@aa.com.tr