Mexico Expert Panel Recommends Saltwater-only Fracking, Ban in Tampico-Misantla
The panel cited biodiversity, water use and community risks, and said one fracking well can consume 50,000 to 70,000 cubic meters of water.
- On Thursday, a panel of experts appointed by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum recommended banning hydraulic fracturing in the Tampico-Misantla basin and using only saltwater for projects elsewhere in Mexico.
- Experts excluded Tampico-Misantla from fracking due to risks of community opposition and environmental concerns, citing previous projects by state oil firm Pemex in densely populated areas of Veracruz.
- According to researcher Jose Antonio Hernandez, a single fracking well consumes up to 70,000 cubic meters of water, with saltwater at depths of 1,000 to 1,500 meters identified as ideal.
- Government plans include drilling experimental wells to check for saltwater; Sheinbaum confirmed that local residents will be consulted if fracking is deemed economically viable.
- The panel also urged evaluation of the Sabinas-Burro-Picachos and Burgos basins in northern Mexico, suggesting new technologies like water recycling have changed the calculus compared to 10 or 15 years ago.
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The expenditure associated with hydraulic fracturing or fracking should be thoroughly analysed, since the investment to extract gas through this technique, controlled mainly by foreign companies, could be even more than double compared to a traditional well, according to specialists and organisms.
The committee's report ended up erecting a chain of obstacles to Sheinbaum's energy turn that calls into question its political, economic and technical viability
President Claudia Sheinbaum took another step in her aspirations to exploit non-conventional natural gas deposits in Mexico by presenting on Thursday a study prepared by a committee of experts that recommended that only projects of hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” with salt water should be developed and that ruled out the exploitation of the Tampico-Misantla basin.
An interdisciplinary commission composed of 54 experts and scientists determined that it is feasible to use fracking technique to exploit non-conventional natural gas in some regions of northeastern Mexico. This announcement marks a radical breakdown with the position of the previous government, which categorically opposed this practice. "This commission recommends continuing the evaluation to know the viability and development of non-convention…
Mexico expert panel recommends saltwater-only fracking, ban in Tampico-Misantla
MEXICO CITY, Aug 6 (Reuters) - A panel of experts appointed by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday recommended banning hydraulic fracturing in the Tampico-Misantla basin and using only saltwater for projects elsewhere in the country. The ...
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