Overview
- President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday named a 17-member panel from UNAM, UAM, IPN, the Mexican Water Technology Institute, the Mexican Petroleum Institute and UANL to study whether new, lower-impact hydraulic fracturing could work in Mexico.
- Sheinbaum said no project will move forward without a scientific determination and consultations with affected communities.
- The reassessment targets Mexico’s dependence on U.S. gas, which supplies about 75% of its use and already comes from fracked wells, with Coahuila mentioned as a possible first site.
- The panel expects to deliver an initial orientation in roughly two months before any policy decision.
- Industry and legal experts report more fuel import licenses and faster permitting this year, a shift that accompanies wider debate over water risks, local consent and environmental safeguards.