EIA: Exports to Mexico set record in June

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (IEA) reports U.S. natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico averaged a record 6.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) for June 2023, which is 0.1 Bcf/d greater than the previous record set in June 2021, according to data from Wood Mackenzie.

Natural gas exports to Mexico surpassed 7.0 Bcf/d on nine days in June, driven by higher-than-normal temperatures that increased demand for natural gas in Mexico’s electric power sector. U.S. natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico generally peak in the summer due to increased demand for electricity to power air conditioning. Mexico’s electric power sector consumption has grown by an average of 3% every year since 2018, according to data from Wood Mackenzie.

U.S. natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico averaged 5.9 Bcf/d in the first half of 2023, similar to the record-high average of 6.0 Bcf/d in the first half of 2021. After declining in 2022, U.S. natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico have returned to the highs of 2021.

In 2022, Mexico increased its domestic natural gas production by 14%, or 0.3 Bcf/d, reducing natural gas pipeline imports from the United States. In the first half of 2023, Mexico’s domestic production did not increase from 2022, but demand did. To make up the difference, pipeline imports from the United States increased 3%, or 0.2 Bcf/d.