UPDATE 2-Mexico Sept oil data point to stabilizing output

(Adds detail on September output)

MEXICO CITY, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Mexican oil production fell in September from a year ago but was higher than August, lending further support to the government's claim that oil production levels are stabilizing after years of decline.

Mexico produced 2.599 million barrels per day of crude in September, 4.5 percent less than a year ago but up from 2.542 million bpd in August, state oil company Pemex [PEMX.UL] said on Friday.

Energy Minister Georgina Kessel told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday she was confident Mexican oil production would not fall below 2.5 million bpd over the coming years as the rapid decline in yields at the giant Cantarell field have slowed. [ID:nN20464082]

Output from Cantarell was 642,371 bpd in September, down from 650,154 bpd in August.

The Chicontepec project pumped out 29,907 bpd September, compared to 30,706 bpd the month before.

Mexican oil output plunged by nearly a quarter from its peak in 2004 as gas and water invaded the productive zones of the Cantarell field, once one of the world's most prolific crude producers.

Mexican oil exports rose 6.4 percent from a year ago to 1.128 million bpd of crude in September, Pemex said. Imports of gasoline declined to 271,900 bpd from 319,400 bpd. (Reporting by Robert Campbell; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)