Unconventional gas? First, let science say it
Claudia Sheinbaum threw the ball to the scientists today. When asked if Mexico should exploit its unconventional gas, its response was to create a committee of experts. The UNAM, the Poli and other institutes will have two months to give a verdict.
“Why yes? Well because it gives us more energy sovereignty. Why not? Well because it has environmental impacts,” said the president, exposing the dilemma with unusual clarity in the National Palace.
The play is interesting. On the one hand, the need is recognized: we import a lot of gas from the United States and sovereignty is important. On the other hand, the environmental risk of extracting gas trapped between rocks is admitted.
A committee to (not) decide
The announcement by the scientific committee is a classic political move: faced with a thorny decision, a study is requested. Sheinbaum insisted that “there is no political issue, it is a technical definition”. Sounds good, until you remember that every technical definition in energy ends up being deeply political.
The promise is to present the committee next Wednesday. Its mission will be clear: evaluate whether new technologies exist that mitigate the environmental damage of old methods. And if it is feasible, calculate how much it would cost to do it.
Meanwhile, the government will continue to exploit conventional gas. Sheinbaum connected this debate to global conflicts, mentioning tensions over Ukraine and the Middle East. Energy dependence hurts more when the world burns.
“We have a good relationship with the United States government and we have guaranteed contracts… but that is a responsible decision: to increase our energy sovereignty,” he argued.
He admits that these decisions take up to 15 years to materialize. A term that exceeds any presidential mandate, but that defines the future of the country. The official discourse puts sovereignty, development and the next generations at the center.
The final message was pragmatic: we need more gas for base electricity, the kind that works when the sun doesn’t shine. The perfect energy transition still collides with technical realities. While experts deliberate, the question remains in the air: Is Mexico ready to assume the environmental costs of its energy independence?
