Pemex Tula Boosts April Processing Runs While Dos Bocas Falls to 43% Capacity
Mexico’s state-owned company Pemex processed 1.06 million b/d of crude in April, more than 15% above the level reported a year ago, with the 340,000-b/d Tula refinery leading the company’s seven refineries.
According to the company’s latest operational report published on Monday, Pemex’s Tula refinery processed 262,807 b/d in April, up 5% from the 250,231 b/d in March and more than 26% above the 207,843 b/d processed in April 2025.
In contrast, the 340,000-b/d Dos Bocas facility, Pemex’s newest refinery, saw its processing rate go down to its lowest level since July 2025, at a 147,500 b/d average, resulting in Dos Bocas running at just 43% of its total capacity in April.
The refinery has been at the center of several operational incidents since March, including oil spills and fires, with the latest, a flare-up, reported early last week.
In a news release issued last week, Pemex said it reduced fuel import costs by 23% in the first quarter of 2026, citing higher crude processing rates at the Tula and Dos Bocas refineries.
The company said its 330,000-b/d Salina Cruz refinery processed 207,311 b/d in April, slightly above the 202,347 b/d reported in March and 10% higher than the 188,412 b/d processed in April 2025.
In its 2026 first quarter financial report, Pemex said the Tula refinery raised its throughput by 39,000 b/d during the period thanks to the coking unit brought online in July 2025. The Salina Cruz coking unit is still expected to be put in operation by the second half of 2027, according to the company.
The 220,000 b/d Salamanca refinery reported 55,720 b/d of crude processing during April, 54% less than the month before and the worst result since October 2019.
Local media reported the refinery shut down its towers in early April due to scheduled repairs.
The company said it produced 388,131 b/d of gasoline during the month, 3.5% down from March but 12.7% up from the 344,246 b/d in April 2025.
Diesel and jet fuel production also slipped 7.7% and 18.3% month over month, respectively, at 260,882 b/d and 45,629 b/d, respectively. However, diesel production was 32.3% up from the 197,184 b/d in April 2025.
Jet fuel production was 21.2% down from the 211.842 b/d produced in April 2025.
Pemex said crude oil production averaged 1.65 million b/d in April, compared with 1.62 million b/d in April 2025.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has set a goal for Pemex to sustain crude production at an average of 1.8 million b/d starting next year.
The company also said it exported 418,284 b/d of crude in April, down 35% from the 647,619 b/d exported in April 2025, though slightly above the 415,113 b/d shipped in March.
Reporting by José Luis Adriano, jadriano@opisnet.com; Editing by Karla Omaña, komana@opisnet.com and Michael Kelly, mkelly@opisnet.com