The Olmeca refinery in Dos Bocas has reached nearly 87% of its installed capacity, pushing Pemex's refining to its highest level in over a decade. Opened in 2022, this facility has overcome early hurdles to aid Mexico's fuel self-sufficiency. Yet, debates continue over high costs and environmental concerns.
After about three years of operations, the Dos Bocas refinery, known as Olmeca, is running nearly at full capacity, a milestone for Mexico's oil sector. This facility, the nation's largest, processes crude in the port of Dos Bocas, Tabasco, and has dealt with failed startups, power outages, and raw material shortages. Similar projects typically take six to nine months to hit full capacity, but Olmeca has progressed steadily since starting in 2022.
Lately, the refinery operated at 87% of its installed capacity, the highest yet. This boosted oil intake across Pemex's seven refineries to 1.35 million barrels daily last week, per a Bloomberg document, exceeding levels from over 11 years ago. President Claudia Sheinbaum noted in November that the plant works “superbien,” yielding almost 300,000 barrels daily of oil.
Still, the initiative has sparked controversies. By 2025, costs hit $20.959 billion, a 135% rise from the initial $8.9 billion budget, as reported by Julio Cesar Rentería Sandoval of the Mexican Institute of Chemical Engineers. In October, Paraíso residents in Tabasco complained of toxic gas pollution harming health, particularly near two adjacent schools. “Children in Paraíso and nearby communities are breathing every day not just that black smoke, but sometimes yellow smoke that's super toxic too,” said Juan Manuel Orozco, a local and Climate Connections official, in an interview.
This refining surge is vital for cutting gasoline imports in Mexico, Latin America's top buyer, and draws attention from U.S. Gulf Coast refineries.
