Mexico’s energy planning includes green hydrogen, with 31 projects and investments totaling $22.37 billion

Posted on: 02 / 10 / 2026 | 0 Comentarios | Tags: E&M Combustión, emissions reduction, Green Hydrogen, Mexico

Mexico’s energy planning incorporates green hydrogen. The country aims to position itself as one of the markets with the greatest potential for developing the hydrogen economy in Latin America. To this end, the Mexican Hydrogen and Energy Transformation Association (H2México) presented the institutional dossier “Clean Hydrogen and Power-to-X: Key Milestones for Energy Transformation and Security in Mexico” to the Secretariat of Economy; the document outlines the sector’s current status and details a portfolio of 31 projects representing an estimated investment of $22.37 billion.

The presentation—delivered by the Undersecretariat of Industry and Commerce and the General Directorate of National Content and Promotion in the Energy Sector—posits that hydrogen has moved beyond being merely a tool for emissions reduction; it is now establishing itself as a strategic component for strengthening energy security, developing new industrial capabilities, and enhancing the country’s competitiveness.

Two plants are already operating in Mexico, and the project portfolio continues to grow. The project map included in the dossier shows that Mexico currently has 31 initiatives linked to clean hydrogen; of these, two green hydrogen plants—located in Querétaro and San Luis Potosí—are already in operation.

The development potential entails a projected annual production of:

• 196,707 tonnes of green hydrogen.
• 970,000 tonnes of green ammonia.
• 2.1 million tonnes of green and blue methanol.
• 8,760 tonnes of turquoise hydrogen.

These identified initiatives aim to add approximately 4,246 MW of renewable generation capacity—key infrastructure for powering electrolysis processes and other systems associated with clean hydrogen production.

Power-to-X expands the scope of the energy transition

A central focus of the document is the role of Power-to-X (PtX)—a suite of technologies that converts electricity from renewable sources into new energy carriers such as hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, and synthetic fuels.

This capability would enable the storage, transport, and use of energy in sectors where direct electrification is technically more complex, such as heavy industry, maritime transport, aviation, and certain petrochemical processes.

H2México welcomes the incorporation of green hydrogen into the Federal Electricity Commission’s (CFE) 2026–2030 Development and Strengthening Program, as well as the inclusion of hydrogen and alternative energy sources in the Hydrocarbon Sector Development Plan (PLADESHi).

Key challenges include:

• Reducing infrastructure and transport costs
• Establishing specific regulations for green hydrogen
• Creating incentives for supply and demand
• Accelerating the adoption of renewable energy
• Strengthening national decarbonization goals

PLADESHi 2025-2039: Energy Sector Development

Through the Hydrocarbon Sector Development Plan 2025–2039 (PLADESHi), the Secretariat of Energy (SENER) has defined a long-term vision for the sector’s development. This vision aims to strengthen energy security and sovereignty, reduce import dependency, and modernize the infrastructure required to guarantee the supply of hydrocarbons and their derivatives.

Hydrocarbons remain fundamental to this process. Natural gas, for instance, presents a significant infrastructure challenge, as 94% of the 8,741 km of gas pipelines operated by Cenagas have been in service for over 45 years. With a 15-year horizon and annual reviews, PLADESHi comprehensively addresses exploration, extraction, processing, transportation, storage, and commercialization, while incorporating objectives related to the energy transition, sustainability, and energy and social justice.

A key pillar of the Plan is strengthening domestic production and processing capacity. The strategy prioritizes domestic consumption over imports, seeks to increase reserves, and aims to boost the refining and production of petroleum products, petrochemicals, and fertilizers.

Regarding exploration, PLADESHi targets the addition of 3,212 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe) in 3P reserves between 2026 and 2030, as part of efforts to ensure the future availability of hydrocarbons.

Industrial processing also plays a central role. Plans are in place to increase crude processing and fuel production to bolster the domestic supply of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. This strategy is complemented by the rehabilitation and modernization of transportation and storage infrastructure deemed critical for supply security.

La Mexico’s energy planning incorporates green hydrogen

Mexico’s energy planning incorporates green hydrogen. The plan aims to gradually replace fossil fuels, improve the utilization of energy resources, and integrate clean and renewable energy sources. The inclusion of green hydrogen is part of a broader expansion program. The CFE Development and Strengthening Program (2026–2030) outlines 72 generation projects, representing 24,083 MW of capacity and an investment of 492.299 billion pesos. Of this total, 52 projects are dedicated to expansion, accounting for 18,597 MW of capacity and an investment of 467.299 billion pesos. This expansion encompasses both mixed-model projects and projects owned directly by the CFE, with a significant role played by renewable technologies.

Consequently, the plan envisions the installation of 15,203 MW of renewable capacity, including solar photovoltaic, wind, concentrated solar power (CSP), and geothermal technologies, among others. This addition represents a substantial portion of the new capacity projected for the period and reflects the growing role of clean energy within the CFE’s expansion strategy. In this context, one of the plan’s projects focuses on the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF); to this end, a biorefinery will be launched to convert ethanol into bio-jet fuel.

Furthermore, the share of renewable energy in CFE’s generation mix is ​​projected to rise, increasing from 21% in 2025 to 34% in 2030. This shift is part of a strategy aimed at diversifying the energy matrix and increasing the use of technologies with a lower carbon footprint.

Role of E&M Combustión in Hydrogen

The thermal engineering firm E&M Combustión designs and manufactures advanced hydrogen burners and combustion systems aimed at decarbonizing industrial processes and reducing carbon emissions. This equipment is capable of operating on 100% pure hydrogen or in multi-fuel blends (combining it with natural gas, biodiesel, or fuel oil). These systems are used in petrochemical, chemical, and cement plants, as well as in heating and commercial applications.

In 2022, in collaboration with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), the company completed a European R&D&i project to develop computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling software for hydrogen burners. The project was made possible through the use of High-Performance Computing (HPC). The software simulates and predicts—with a high degree of reliability—the parameters and conditions under which the hydrogen combustion equipment will operate.