en.Wedoany.com Reported - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is evaluating the possibility of launching pilot hydraulic fracturing projects in the northern states of Coahuila and Tamaulipas to increase domestic natural gas production, according to four sources familiar with the matter.
Mexico already produces small amounts of crude oil and natural gas through hydraulic fracturing, and the government, along with state-owned oil company Pemex, is assessing a broader rollout to reduce dependence on U.S. natural gas imports. Hydraulic fracturing extracts resources by injecting water, sand, and chemicals at high pressure to fracture rock, and has long raised concerns over groundwater contamination, methane emissions, and seismic risks, while also being seen as a delay to the transition to renewable energy. Sheinbaum, previously an opponent of fracking, has recently shifted her stance, stating that existing new technologies have a smaller environmental impact and higher water efficiency.
Three of the sources said Sheinbaum received findings weeks ago from an interdisciplinary team of geology, water resources, engineering, and environmental experts tasked with helping the government "make the best possible decision." If approved, Pemex could launch its first pilot project as early as September. Mexico's presidential office and Pemex did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
Pemex currently produces 4.869 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 1.658 million barrels of oil and condensate per day. One source said Mexico has no choice but to increase output as conventional reserves decline; another said the country's dependence on U.S. natural gas imports is "alarming."
Company data shows Pemex has drilled 25 exploration wells in the Sabinas-Burro Picachos, Burgos, and Tampico-Misantla basins, which span Coahuila, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz, and fracking has also been used in the Chicontepec project. In its strategy through 2035 released last year, the company proposed bringing unconventional oil and gas fields into production, planning a "modest" output contribution between 2026 and 2028, with "significant production" starting in 2029.
The strategy projects cumulative output of 197 million barrels of crude oil and 303 billion cubic feet of natural gas by 2030, with a resource potential of 6.4 billion barrels of oil equivalent.
Each potential development area faces different challenges: Coahuila is governed by the opposition party; Tamaulipas faces security risks linked to organized crime; and parts of the resource-rich Tampico-Misantla basin remain plagued by water shortages.
Sources said most of the Tampico-Misantla basin lies in Veracruz and holds Mexico's largest unconventional oil and gas potential, but the government is currently studying an area in Coahuila near the U.S. border, within the Burro-Picachos platform. This sparsely populated region borders the Eagle Ford formation, one of the largest shale oil and gas producing areas in the United States and the source of most of Mexico's natural gas imports. In June alone, the Eagle Ford produced an average of 4.3 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, roughly equivalent to Pemex's total national natural gas output.
Intensive unconventional development requires hundreds of wells and continuous operations, with interruptions carrying high costs; such wells typically see rapid production declines, requiring sustained investment to maintain output.
