MEXICO CITY, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Mexican state energy company Pemex refined less crude oil in September than the previous month, with production of highly polluting fuel oil again surpassing gasoline output, data on its website showed.
The data indicate the company is struggling to meet a promise to achieve energy "sovereignty" made by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whose term in office ends in less than a year.
Pemex refined 767,994 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil in September, down 3.6% from August, and off 1.5% from the same month last year, the latest figures showed.
Pemex produced 226,100 bpd of gasoline and 99,700 bpd of diesel, down 6.5% and 35% respectively from August. Total output of refined petroleum products was 826,500 bpd.
The company churned out large amounts of fuel oil, a sludge-like product with high sulfur content. Production in September was 281,200 bpd, up 22.5% from the previous month.
Mexico's six domestic refineries have struggled to efficiently process the heavy crude Pemex pumps. Fuel oil is mostly used for electricity generation in the country.
Pemex and its partners pumped 1.59 million bpd of crude oil in September, down from 1.6 million bpd a month earlier, the data showed. The number for condensate, similar to a very light crude, was 286,000 bpd - up from 277,000 bpd. (Reporting by Ana Isabel Martinez; Editing by Richard Chang)
