Mexico City, Mexico — President Sheinbaum has presented strategy to strengthen energy sovereignty by exploiting Mexico’s natural gas reserves. The goal, she said, is to reduce imports.
Sheinbaum explained that for the exploitation of unconventional natural gas deposits, a committee of scientists and specialists will be formed. Within two months, their recommendations will be issued.
The strategy also includes having more efficient equipment that consumes less energy and using more renewable sources so that its generation increases from 24 percent to 38 percent by 2030.
PresidentSheinbaum presented the Strategy to Strengthen Energy Sovereignty, which outlines three main actions.
They include implementing more efficient equipment that consumes less energy. Increasing the use of renewable energy sources and exploiting natural gas reserves from conventional fields to reduce imports of this resource.
Regarding unconventional fields, a committee of scientists and specialists in water management, sustainable exploitation, geology and the environment will be formed.
“What do we put at the center? Sovereignty. What do we put at the center? The country’s development. What do we put at the center? The environmental future, the next generations.
“But what do we put at the center? The viability of development for our country. Will gas imports end? No, hardly, because we are importing a lot, but little by little, because these are decisions that take time.
“It’s not that if the decision is made to go with this technology, we’ll have it tomorrow. No, it will take 10, 15 years to develop this type of gas production,” she said this week.
Sheinbaum said natural gas is required by virtually all industries in the country, which is why, for the past four months, a team has been traveling to Texas, California and Canada to research new technologies for the exploitation of unconventional deposits.
President Sheinbaum said there is a good relationship with the United States and that contracts for gas imports from that country are guaranteed, however, increasing energy sovereignty is a responsible decision.
Energy Secretary Luz Elena González Escobar reported that Mexico consumes 9 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily of which 2.3 billion are produced by Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) and 6.8 billion are imported.
This means that currently 75 percent of the natural gas consumed is imported. In 2025, 80 percent came from Texas and 20 percent from California.
She pointed out that this dependence creates sensitivity to international price fluctuations, vulnerability to climate events and international conflicts, limitations on regional development, uncertainty in supply security and reliance on foreign decisions.
Therefore, the proposal is to leverage Mexico’s natural gas reserves and continue increasing electricity generation from renewable sources, with the goal of rising from 24 percent to 38 percent by 2030.
Pemex CEO Víctor Rodríguez Padilla explained that gas deposits are divided into two types. Conventional, where the gas comes along with the oil or exists as dry gas, which goes directly to the pipelines and unconventional, where the gas is found in the fissures of hard rock such as shale or compacted sand.
He detailed that there is significant potential for exploitation in conventional reservoirs with 83.138 billion cubic feet and in unconventional reservoirs with 141.494 billion cubic feet.
He explained that, according to its sector planning, Pemex will reach 4.049 billion cubic feet of natural gas by 2030 and could reach 8.6 billion cubic feet in the next 10 years, including unconventional resources.
President Sheinbaum announced that the committee of scientists and specialists will be presented April 15 along with information on the infrastructure projects related to this area.
