For some participants, the underlying issue is their failure to convey that fracking is a technology that has evolved to be less aggressive to the environment and is backed by stronger regulations. Additionally, the private sector harbors significant doubts about potential partnerships with Pemex (Petróleos Mexicanos) due to the state of the oil company itself. 'Public policy has taken it out of its operational phase,' he said. Following the publication of Pemex's Strategic Plan in August, a debate was sparked as the project contemplates the exploration of 'complex geology,' which analysts have confirmed is nothing other than unconventional reservoirs requiring this type of massive hydraulic fracturing technique. This led to a clash of statements: on one hand, the Secretary of Energy assured that this administration is against fracking; on the other, the head of Pemex defended that extraction techniques have changed and proposed resuming the evaluation—he emphasized this word—of the productive potential in complex geology reservoirs. Pemex rules out fracking in initial mixed contracts to avoid controversy. Along the same lines, the Tamaulipas official referred this week to technological changes that modify the environmental impact of this practice. Schemes that the Mexican Oil Institute (IMP) is currently studying, he said, to reduce water use and connect with carbon capture and storage schemes. Ángel Jiménez recalled that this entity concentrates two 'centers of gravity' for the development of unconventional reservoirs: the Burgos Basin and the Tampico-Misantla Basin. For some, this is a sign that this practice could materialize in the not-too-distant future. It was at the Tamaulipas International Energy Congress that the state's Secretary of Energy Development, Walter Ángel Jiménez, spoke of the need to reactivate this practice to achieve the goal of reducing natural gas imports, mainly from the United States. The official also challenged the status quo by reminding the audience that the reason this extraction technique is not currently used is more of a policy decision, as there is no legal prohibition against its use. That is why, as LPO reported, the new mixed contracts do not currently include this type of project. He stated that these areas could contribute between 30% and 40% of the volume of gas that is currently imported. The speech fuels expectations in the oil sector that the government is seriously considering resuming this practice. Following the debate sparked by the conflicting statements of Víctor Ramírez and Luz Elena González, another 4T official from Tamaulipas has once again raised the need to discuss the issue of fracking.
