Overview
- Mexico’s government, which announced the review Wednesday, will convene a scientific committee to assess newer methods for tapping shale gas often linked to hydraulic fracturing, with recommendations expected in about two months.
- Officials said Mexico uses about 9,000 million cubic feet of gas per day, produces about 2,300, and imports roughly 75% from the United States.
- Pemex set goals to raise output to about 4,049 million cubic feet per day by the end of the term and to approach 8.6 billion per day within a decade if non‑conventional fields move ahead.
- Leaders ruled out traditional high‑impact fracking and said any project must use non‑potable water where possible, recycle a high share of the fluid, rely on less harmful chemicals, and run continuous environmental monitoring.
- Independent experts warned that large shale programs face high costs, heavy water and methane risks, and stiff competition from cheap Texas gas, so any push is unlikely to deliver full energy sovereignty on its own.