Noxal is a deep underwater

oil field A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations. Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presence ...

in the

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

waters of the Gulf of Mexico that was once believed to contain up to of

crude oil Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crude ...

. Further drilling has revealed a modest a modest natural gas find. The region is still expected to contain of oil and natural gas equivalent. The field lies below the sea bottom, which is itself below sea surface, about off the coast of Veracruz state. Noxal Well

Research

In December 2005, the quest to drill into the Gulf began with the intent to replace the dwindling supply of oil from the

Cantarell field Cantarell Field or Cantarell Complex is an supergiant offshore oil field in Mexico. It was discovered in 1976 after oil stains were noticed by a fisherman, Rudesindo Cantarell Jimenez, in 1972. It was placed on nitrogen injection in 2000, and pr ...

Pemex Pemex (a portmanteau of Petróleos Mexicanos, which translates to ''Mexican Petroleum'' in English; ) is the Mexican state-owned petroleum company managed and operated by the Mexican government. It was formed in 1938 by nationalization and expr ...

, a Mexican petroleum company, began their first deepwater research and discovered Noxal and Lakach. Noxal, located in the

Catemaco Folded Belt Catemaco () is a city in Catemaco Municipality located in the south of the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located on Lake Catemaco, with the municipality stretching north to the Gulf of Mexico. Catemaco is a tourist destination, with it ...

, was the first ever deepwater oil well found by Pemex. The news about this discovery went public in 2006. When tests were conducted at four different intervals, they confirmed the well was indeed filled with natural gas, containing 10 billion barrels of oil. After the success of the Noxal oil field, Pemex drilled into the second oil field it discovered, Lakach. Noxal and Lakach are just a few of many oil fields that have been discovered and ready to be drilled into so Pemex can bring these gases to land. However, at the time of the discovery of both of these oil fields, Pemex encountered issues due to having no knowledge or experience with deepwater drilling. Pemex was also not allowed to have outside help due to the nationalization of oil reserves in Mexico. This was one of the reasons for the country's decline in the production of oil in the first place. While Noxal was announced as a major oil field, it turned out to be non-existent or unprofitable for development.

Drilling

The Noxal-1 well (3,115 feet deep) was drilled by Diamond Offshore Drilling, a Texas-based company. The drilling started on 8 December 2005.

References

External links

Mexico discovers 'huge' oil field
''BBC News'', March 15, 2006. Oil fields in Mexico Natural gas fields in Mexico Petroleum industry in the Gulf of Mexico Pemex {{Mexico-geo-stub