Pemex said on Sept. 13 that it discovered six new deposits in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), two of which are super-light crude in deep waters and four of which are light crude in shallow waters.

Pemex, which has been struggling with declining output for over a decade, also plans to drill 30 exploratory wells in 2017, it said in a statement.

A Pemex spokesman said the discoveries were made a few months ago but were not announced immediately in order to quantify the reserves and guarantee their commercial viability.

Pemex said that in the oil-rich Cinturon Plegado de Perdido area, which is in the deepwater GoM, it had already drilled the Nobilis-1 Well located 220 kilometers (km), or 137 miles, off the coast of the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, at a depth of 3,000 m to the ocean floor and at a total depth of more than six km.

The company said that in the two deepwater discoveries, the crude had a super-light gravity of more than 40 degrees API. Pemex said the two wells could eventually deliver 15,000 barrels per day (Mbbl/d) and could have between 140 MMboe and 160 MMboe of proved, probable and possible (3-P) reserves.

The company also said it discovered light crude and gas in the Teca-1 Well located 30 km off the Gulf Coast at 44 m below the surface. Its estimated 3-P reserves were between 50 MMboe and 60 MMboe.

Pemex, which has enacted major spending cuts due to the collapse of oil prices, said it would focus the majority of its investments on areas where it thinks it has the highest probability of discovering crude.

Pemex estimates its average production will be 1.9 MMbbl/d in 2017, its lowest level since 1980, as a result of the spending cuts.

Offshore