Mexico's President Sheinbaum reviews pilot fracking projects to raise domestic gas output

President Claudia Sheinbaum has begun assessing pilot hydraulic-fracturing operations in the northern states of Coahuila and Tamaulipas, seeking to reduce Mexico's dependence on imported natural gas. Four sources say she received a multidisciplinary panel's findings on geology, water, engineering and environmental impacts. If approved, Pemex may start the first trials by September, adding to its current output of about 4.9 billion cubic feet of gas per day.

The government cites falling conventional reserves and describes U.S. gas imports as "alarming," but acknowledges fracking's potential groundwater, methane and seismic risks. Each prospective area faces distinct hurdles: Coahuila is ruled by the opposition, Tamaulipas contends with organized-crime security threats, and water scarcity challenges parts of the Tampico-Misantla basin. Pemex has already drilled exploratory wells in several basins and plans modest unconventional contributions by 2026-28, scaling up after 2029.