July 3 (Bloomberg) -- Peru's natural-gas production rose to a record in June as power plants operated by Endesa SA and Suez SA increased purchases.

Gas output gained 9 percent from the previous month to 369 million cubic feet a day on record production at the Camisea gas fields, state oil-licensing agency Perupetro said today in an e- mailed statement.

Peru, South America's fifth-largest gas producer, has $6 billion in investment commitments in its oil and gas industry, including a $3.8 billion gas plant being built by Dallas-based Hunt Oil Co. Peru is a net importer of oil, which has doubled in price over the past 12 months.

``By 2010 when we begin exporting gas, production will be much higher and reserves should double to 50 trillion cubic feet,'' Daniel Saba, president of state oil-contracting agency Perupetro, said in a June 30 interview in Madrid. ``We will be net oil exporters by 2011, when production rises to 400,000 barrels a day.''

Production of crude oil and gas liquids rose 8 percent to 113,330 barrels a day in June after Pluspetrol SA finished repairs at the country's biggest gas-processing plant. Companies including Repsol YPF SA, Perenco SA and BPZ Resources Inc. are expected to increase Peru's oil output with the start-up of new fields.

Crude oil for August delivery rose $1.72, or 1.2 percent, to settle at $145.29 a barrel at 2:55 p.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange after touching a record $145.85. Natural gas for August delivery rose 18.8 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $13.577 per million British thermal units.

To contact the reporter for this story: Alex Emery in Lima at aemery1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 3, 2008 16:48 EDT