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Gulf of Mexico Fact Sheet
Released: September 3, 2010
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The Gulf of Mexico area, both onshore and offshore, is one of the most important regions for energy resources and infrastructure. Gulf of Mexico offshore oil production accounts for 30 percent of total U.S. crude oil production  and offshore natural gas production in the Gulf accounts for 13 percent of total U.S. production. Over 40 percent of total U.S. petroleum refining capacity is located along the Gulf coast, as well as almost 30 percent of total U.S. natural gas processing plant capacity. 
U.S. Petroleum and Other Liquid Fuels Facts for 2009
  Million of Barrels Per Day Share of Total U.S. Liquid Fuels Consumed
Liquid Fuels Production 9.1 49%
U.S. Crude Oil Production 5.3 28%
Total Offshore Production 1 1.7 9%
Gulf of Mexico Offshore Production2 1.6 8%
Natural Gas Plant Liquids 1.9 10%
Refinery Processing Gain 1.0 5%
Biofuels 0.7 4%
Other3 0.2 1%
Stocks Withdrawn -0.1 -1%
Net Imports 9.7 52%
Gross Imports into Gulf Coast 6.0 32%
Total U.S. Liquid Fuels Consumed4 18.7 100%
 
Offshore share of U.S. crude oil production 33%
Gulf of Mexico offshore share of U.S. crude oil production 30%

1. Includes Federal and State offshore production. Includes adjustment to Alaska offshore production from values initially published in Petroleum Supply Monthly.
2. Includes Federal and State offshore production.
3. Includes oxygenates, denaturants, other hydrocarbons, and hydrogen.
4. Liquid fuels consumed equals product supplied reported in the Petroleum Supply Monthly.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
Year-End 2008 U.S. Proved Crude Oil, Condensate and Natural Gas Liquid Reserves
Million Barrels
Crude Oil
 Condensate
 Natural Gas
Plant Liquids
Total
U.S. Total Offshore 4,093 239 376 4,708
U.S. Federal Offshore 3,903 227 321 4,451
U.S. State Offshore 190 12 55 257
U.S. Onshore 15,028 1,194 7,466 23,688
U.S. Total Reserves 19,121 1,433 7,842 28,396
Total Gulf Offshore 3,599 239 375 4,213
Federal Gulf of Mexico 3,546 227 320 4,093
Gulf States Offshore 53 12 55 120
 
Total Offshore Percent of Total Reserves 21% 17% 5% 17%
Total Gulf Offshore Percent of Total Reserves 19% 17% 5% 15%
Note: Alaskan reserves are all shown as onshore.
Source: EIA, U.S. Crude Oil, Natural Gas, and Natural Gas Liquids Reserves, 2008

Natural Gas Facts for 2009
  Trillion Cubic Feet Share of Total U.S.
Natural Gas Consumed
U.S. Dry Gas Production 21.0 92%
Total Offshore Production 2.8 12%
Gulf of Mexico Offshore Production 2.7 12%
Supplemental Gaseous Fuels 0.1 0%
Net Imports 2.7 12%
LNG Imports into Gulf Coast 0.1 0%
Net Storage Withdrawals -0.3 -1%
Balancing Item -0.5 -2%
Total U.S. Natural Gas Consumed 22.8 100%
 
Offshore Share of U.S. Natural Gas Production 13%
Gulf of Mexico Offshore Share of U.S. Natural Gas Production 13%
Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Natural Gas Monthly (April), DOE Office of Fossil Energy Import/Export Data, and EIA estimates.

Year-End 2008 U.S. Natural Gas Proved Reserves
  Dry Natural Gas
Trillion Cubic Feet
U.S Total Offshore 14.7
U.S. Federal Offshore 13.5
U.S. State Offshore 1.2
U.S. Onshore 229.9
U.S. Total Reserves 244.7
Total Gulf Offshore 14.0
Federal Gulf of Mexico 12.8
Gulf States Offshore 1.1
 
Total Offshore Percent of Total Reserves 6%
Total Gulf Offshore Percent of Total Reserves 6%
Source: EIA, U.S. Crude Oil, Natural Gas, and Natural Gas Liquids Reserves, 2008

U.S. Gulf Coast Operable Refinery Capacity As Of January 2010
  (Barrels Per Calendar Day)
Refiner Refinery State Capacity
Louisiana Gulf Coast Refining District
Alon Refining Krotz Springs Inc Krotz Springs LA 80,000
Calcasieu Refining Co Lake Charles LA 78,000
Chalmette Refining LLC Chalmette LA 192,500
Chevron USA Inc Pascagoula MS 330,000
Citgo Petroleum Corp Lake Charles LA 429,500
ConocoPhillips Company Belle Chasse LA 247,000
ConocoPhillips Company Westlake LA 239,400
ExxonMobil Refining & Supply Co Baton Rouge LA 504,500
Marathon Petroleum Company LLC Garyville LA 436,000
Motiva Enterprises LLC Convent LA 235,000
Motiva Enterprises LLC Norco LA 234,700
Murphy Oil USA Inc Meraux LA 120,000
Placid Refining Co Port Allen LA 57,000
Shell Chemical LP Saraland AL 80,000
Shell Chemical LP St. Rose LA 55,000
Valero Refining New Orleans LLC Norco LA 185,003
Subtotal 3,503,603
Texas Gulf Coast Refining District
BP Products North America Inc Texas City TX 437,080
Citgo Refining & Chemical Inc Corpus Christi TX 163,000
ConocoPhillips Company Sweeny TX 247,000
Deer Park Refining LTD Partnership Deer Park TX 327,000
ExxonMobil Refining & Supply Co Baytown TX 560,640
ExxonMobil Refining & Supply Co Beaumont TX 344,500
Flint Hills Resources LP Corpus Christi TX 290,078
Houston Refining LP Houston TX 280,700
Marathon Petroleum Company LLC Texas City TX 76,000
Motiva Enterprises LLC Port Arthur TX 285,000
Pasadena Refining Systems Inc Pasadena TX 100,000
Premcor Refining Group Inc Port Arthur TX 287,000
Total Petrochemicals Inc Port Arthur TX 232,000
Valero Refining Co Texas LP Corpus Christi TX 142,000
Valero Refining Co Texas LP Houston TX 83,000
Valero Refining Co Texas LP Texas City TX 214,000
Subtotal 4,068,998
Total U.S. Gulf Coast Capacity 7,572,601
Total U.S. Capacity 17,583,790
   
U.S. Gulf Coast Share of U.S. Refinery Capacity 43%
Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Annual Refinery Report, Table 3

U.S. Gulf Coast Natural Gas Processing Plants by Geographic Location
Geographic Location Number of Plants Total Capacity (Bcf per day)
 Average Flow
(Bcf per day)
 Capacity Utilization (Percent)
 Average Plant Size
(MMcf per day)
Cluster 1 13 3 2 75 205
Cluster 2 14 3 2 82 134
Cluster 3 27 6 3 51 219
Cluster 4 14 10 5 50 691
Cluster 5 14 3 1 43 202
Total U.S. Gulf Coast 82 23 13 55 280
Total U.S. 493 77.5 50 60 157
 
U.S. Gulf Coast Share 17% 30% 26% NA NA
Note: Clusters refer to the geographic area depicted on Map.
Units: Billion cubic feet (Bcf) and million cubic feet (MMcf).
Dates: Average Flow and Average Plant Size are 2008 data; Total Capacity are 2009 data; Capacity Utilization is calculated using 2008 Average Flows data divided by 2009 Capacity data.
Source: Form EIA-757 Natural Gas Processing Plant Survey, Schedule A.

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Information:

Related State Energy Profiles:
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook, released on May 27, 2010, predicted that the Atlantic basin will likely experience above-normal tropical weather activity during the upcoming hurricane season (June 1 – November 30).  NOAA projects that 14 to 23 named storms will form within the Atlantic Basin over the next 6 months, including 8 to 14 hurricanes, of which 3 to 7 will be intense.

Offshore platform and rig operators in the Gulf of Mexico temporarily evacuate personnel and shut in crude oil and natural gas production to protect facilities when severe weather threatens.  Such events have sometimes had substantial impacts on energy production (see Figure 1), yet most tropical storms and many hurricanes that pass through the Gulf cause only minor disruptions for just a few days.  For example, Hurricane Ida, a Category 2 storm, caused about 20-30 percent of normal daily energy production to be shut in over a three day period in November of 2009.

Figure 1.  Crude Oil and Natural Gas Production Federal Offshore Gulf of Mexico, 2002-2009

  

Production outages become significant when large-scale tropical weather systems require production to be shut in for longer periods or when damage occurs to offshore infrastructure.  Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which passed through the Gulf in late-August and September of 2005, were the most disruptive storms to impact offshore energy production and caused long-lasting damage including the destruction of 113 offshore platforms.  At one point just before Hurricane Rita made landfall, 100 percent of crude oil production and about 80 percent of natural gas production was shut in for five consecutive days.  Production outages continued for months afterwards.  Even as late as June of 2006, 10 to 12 percent of crude oil and natural gas production remained shut-in.

Severe tropical weather occurs when the ocean temperature warms during the summer months.  Over the past 100 years, tropical storms have formed within the Gulf of Mexico as early as May and as late as December (see Figure 2).  Hurricanes, which usually cause the most significant disruptions to offshore production, occur most frequently during the months of August and September.

Figure 2.  Frequency of Gulf of Mexico Hurricanes and Tropical Storms,
1910-2009

National Hurricane Center Graphical Tropical Weather Outlooks

National Hurricane Center Graphical Tropical Weather Outlooks

  • NHC Atlantic Outlook

    NHC Atlantic Outlook
    Atlantic Graphical Outlook Image

    ZCZC MIATWOAT ALL
    TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM
    TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
    NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
    200 AM EDT FRI SEP 10 2010

    FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

    THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER IS ISSUING ADVISORIES ON TROPICAL
    DEPRESSION IGOR...LOCATED ABOUT 240 MILES WEST OF THE CAPE VERDE
    ISLANDS.

    1. DISORGANIZED CLOUDINESS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE VICINITY OF THE
    WINDWARD ISLANDS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A NEARLY STATIONARY AREA OF
    LOW PRESSURE. THE LOW SHOULD BEGIN TO DRIFT WESTWARD AND IT APPEARS
    THAT THE ENVIRONMENT IS BECOMING A LITTLE LESS FAVORABLE FOR
    DEVELOPMENT DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. THERE IS A MEDIUM
    CHANCE...30 PERCENT...OF THIS SYSTEM BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE
    DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.

    ELSEWHERE...TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE
    NEXT 48 HOURS.

    $$
    FORECASTER AVILA
    NNNN


  • NHC East Pacific Outlook

    NHC East Pacific Outlook
    East Pacific Graphical Outlook Image

    ZCZC MIATWOEP ALL
    TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM
    TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
    NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
    1100 PM PDT THU SEP 9 2010

    FOR THE EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC...EAST OF 140 DEGREES WEST LONGITUDE..

    TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.

    $$
    FORECASTER AVILA
    NNNN