Overview
- Over the weekend protesters from Mayo‑Yoreme communities and environmental groups blocked access to the Proman‑GPO construction site in Topolobampo, entered parts of the complex, and forced the company to suspend work.
- The project was first halted by Mexico’s Supreme Court in 2022, which ordered community consultations, and federal judges in 2024 and 2026 later allowed Proman‑GPO to resume construction.
- Local leaders and activists say the 2022 consultation did not meet ILO Convention 169 standards for prior, free and informed consent while state officials and some traditional governors assert the consultation was valid.
- Opponents warn the plant threatens the Ramsar‑designated Bahía de Ohuira and local fishing livelihoods, citing technical claims that the cooling system would pump about 2,000 cubic meters of seawater per hour and return it several degrees warmer.
- The project is a multibillion‑dollar, German‑backed ammonia and fertilizer complex that has drawn national marches, legal amparos and calls for federal review as authorities offer dialogue and protesters demand permit revocation.