Mexico to Restart Large-Scale Mining Exploration Next Year as Permit Backlog Eases

Overview

• The Economy Ministry plans to resume large-scale exploration next year under a framework that keeps environmental and social scrutiny central.
• Roughly 100 of 176 pending permits have been resolved, and authorities estimate the full backlog could reactivate about $7 billion in investment.
• Only 15 of the pending permits involve new operations, while three recently cited actions cover two land‑use changes and one environmental impact filing in Sonora and Durango.
• New concessions remain on hold, and an official criticized past accumulation of 10 million hectares of concessions with less than 200,000 hectares in active use.
• There is reported consensus to add a mining chapter to the USMCA to coordinate smelting capacity and back Mexican firms’ expansion, as industry seeks legal changes and activists press for tougher oversight.