The product does not meet the country’s regulations to be considered ultra low in sulfur, but it is suitable for power plants.
14ymedio, Madrid, October 22, 2025 — Days after 14ymedio denied, through sources in the oil sector, the assertion of President Claudia Sheinbaum that Mexico has a surplus of diesel, the US media La Silla Rota confirms the thesis based on statements by another expert. In this case it is Ramsés Pech, an energy analyst, who also suspects that the diesel that Pemex sends to Cuba is the kind that Mexico doesn’t want.
As far as diesel is concerned, the maximum sulphur content that must be contained in order to have the official NOM-016 certificate–the official regulation of Mexico that establishes the quality parameters that oil products must meet–is 15 milligrams per kilo (called DUBA), but Pemex doesn’t have It.
“This is a very big structural problem. The crude oil that is extracted in Mexico is very heavy and has a lot of sulphur. Pemex has not been able to get it certified for market entry under the NOM-16 requirements. They have gone from one extension to another since 2009,” said Gonzalo Monroy, director of a consulting company specializing in the renewable energy sector.
However, this “surplus” does not serve the country and has to be exported, so it is expected to end up in Cuba, where it is useful for electricity generation
During the administration of Andrés Manuel López investments were allocated to the Dos Bocas Refinery in Tabasco, with its promise to be able to produce diesel that was very low in sulfur, but construction remains bogged down. Between January and September of this year, the daily average for barrels leaving Mexican state oil refineries was 199,000 per day, something not seen since 2016.
However, this “surplus” does not serve the country and has to be exported, so it is expected to end up in Cuba, where it is useful for electricity generation.
“Daily demand for diesel fluctuates between 400,000 and 420,000 barrels. The US makes up the difference. In addition, Pemex produces only 35% of the country’s diesel. If this is what it is sending to Cuba, it is a low quality diesel for use in the electrical system,” added Pech.
On October 16, Sheinbaum sounded proud of the high production of this petroleum derivative. “There is now a particular surplus of diesel, and it is being exported (to Cuba).”
However, almost 200,000 barrels are imported daily from the US, which means that 50% of the country’s needs come from abroad. This type of fuel is needed for the transport of cargo, buses, agricultural and construction machinery, and electric power generation, although it may have a higher sulphur content. However, the Mexican diesel has less of this element than what is extracted from the wells in Cuba.
This newspaper published, based on Sheinbaum’s words, that Mexico has a fuel deficit, since it relies mainly on the US to cover its needs. “Thanks to these imports from the US, Mexico can afford to export diesel to Cuba,” said Jorge Piñón, a researcher at the University of Texas in Austin.
Mexico imported from the US 61% of its gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, about 787,000 barrels per day in 2024. “A portion of Mexico’s imports come from the Pemex refinery located in Texas City, one of the largest on the Gulf coast, with a daily production of 275,000 barrels,” added Piñón.
“Part of Mexico’s imports come from the Pemex refinery located in Texas City, one of the largest on the Gulf coast, with a daily production of 275,000 barrels”
The specialist denied, however, the data published by the civil society organization, Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad (MCCI), which days before had stated that “the value of hydrocarbons sent by Mexico to Cuba between May and August 2025 exceeded US$3 billion, equivalent to about 60 billion pesos, according to records on foreign trade platforms consulted by the MCCI.”It also stated that Mexican customs had recorded 58 shipments of hydrocarbons to Cuba in those same months.
The MCCI has misinterpreted the data of Mexican Customs. On the contrary, Pemex has problems with the production of light crude oil,”said Piñón, who claims to have no record of recent shipments from Mexico to Cuba.
According to official data from Gasolinas del Bienestar, a subsidiary of the Mexican state-owned company that exports to Cuba under unknown economic conditions, in the first half of 2025 the value of shipments rose by 6% compared to the same period last year, from 5 billion pesos (about US$272 million) to 5.3 billion pesos (US$289 million). Based on this data, it can be estimated that the total number of barrels was 3,257,800.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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