| Home
> Special Report |
Gulf of Mexico Fact Sheet
|
Released: September 3, 2010
|
|
|
Uncheck or check an item to hide or show it in the map.
Additional Resources:
|
|
EIA is not currently reporting on any hurricanes. Please see the Current Tropical Outlook tab below for the latest from NOAA. |
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| Stocks Withdrawn |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 OutlooksNational Hurricane Center Graphical Tropical Weather Outlooks
-
NHC Atlantic Outlook
NHC Atlantic Outlook
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.
$$
FORECASTER AVILA
NNNN
-
NHC East Pacific Outlook
NHC East Pacific Outlook
ZCZC MIATWOEP ALL
TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
1100 PM PDT THU SEP 9 2010
FOR THE EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC...EAST OF 140 DEGREES WEST LONGITUDE..
TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.
$$
FORECASTER AVILA
NNNN
|