On 14 April 2026, Mexico’s Ministry of Energy published a white paper entitled “2026 2036 National Energy Security Strategy”. The strategy places a surprisingly strong emphasis on natural gas as a “transition fuel”, while also committing to a large increase in renewables. Specific targets: increase domestic natural gas production by 40% (from 3.5 bcf/day to 4.9 bcf/day) by 2030, mainly from onshore unconventional resources and deepwater projects, to reduce reliance on pipeline imports from the US (currently 70% of supply). For renewables, the white paper sets targets of 40 GW of solar and 22 GW of wind by 2030, requiring about 12,000 km of new transmission lines.

To accelerate project approvals, the strategy introduces a “one stop permit window” which would cut solar power plant approval times from an average of 2.5 years to nine months. It also plans to auction 15 offshore wind blocks, totalling about 10 GW, in the shallow waters of Veracruz and the Bay of Campeche by the end of 2027. Environmental groups immediately criticised the strategy as “too friendly to natural gas”, arguing it will lock in fossil infrastructure for decades. State oil company Pemex welcomed the support for natural gas. The white paper is now undergoing a 60 day public consultation and is expected to be formally adopted in the third quarter of 2026.