Weekly Report - 16 April 2026 (WR-26-15)

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced that her government is exploring the possibility of using new fracking techniques to reduce the country’s reliance on natural gas imports. Formerly a staunch critic of fracking due to its environmental impact, the plans reveal the pressure Sheinbaum is under to boost Mexico’s energy sovereignty at a time when the global fuel market is reeling from the impact of the war in Iran. While Sheinbaum has stated that a more environmentally friendly form of fracking would be used, environmental groups have rejected this. The move could also prove politically costly, contradicting the position of Sheinbaum’s predecessor and mentor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024), who tried to ban the practice.