Mexico’s Mining Chamber Presses Sheinbaum to Restart Concessions
Mexico mining concessions have not been granted since late 2018. The country's mining chamber says about US$11 billion of projects are stuck, and wants the freeze lifted. The post Mexico’s Mining Chamber Presses Sheinbaum to Restart Concessions appeared first on The Rio Times .
The Mexico Mining Chamber, known as CAMIMEX, is urging President Claudia Sheinbaum to restart mining concessions. The chamber has not received new concessions since late 2018, and this policy has remained unchanged throughout Sheinbaum's first two years in office. The chamber presented its request in the Informe Anual 2026, which calls for the reactivation of new mining concessions in areas of strategic importance.
They also want a mining and critical minerals chapter added to the Mexico-United States-Canada trade agreement, known as T-MEC. CAMIMEX president Pedro Rivero González notes that grants have been minimal since the 2023 reform, which renamed the Ley Minera as the Ley de Minería and changed the way titles are awarded. The new law requires public tenders, limits the term to thirty years with a possible twenty-five-year extension, and prohibits concessions in protected natural areas and zones without water.
Additionally, prior, free, and informed consultation is required from indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities. The reform did not ban open-pit mining, and the law still lacks its implementing regulation. Mining investment in 2025 was reported at US$4.896 billion, a 3.3% decrease from 2024. Spending on new developments fell by 49.2%, and project expansion dropped by 47.8%.
The chamber anticipates a rise to US$6.402 billion in 2026. Production value in 2025 reached a record 379.29 billion pesos, a 21.2% increase. However, mining GDP still declined by 3.2% in 2025, marking three consecutive annual declines. The sector accounted for 2.93% of national output in 2025, down from 3.27% in 2022. Despite the overall decline, mining and metals exports increased by 19.8% to US$30.642 billion in 2025, with a surplus of US$13.747 billion.
Employment in the sector dropped by 4% to 400,057 jobs. The main argument against new concessions is water scarcity, as the 2023 law already bars concessions in areas without available water. Community groups, such as Cambiémosla Ya, argue that the freeze should be maintained and rules tightened. Indigenous consent is now mandatory, and applicants must bear the costs of consultation.
The Supreme Court recently upheld the 2023 law, leaving the current concession rules intact. The T-MEC does not cover mining, limiting the scope for international arbitration. While United States investors may claim national treatment, most-favoured-nation, and direct expropriation claims, these must be exhausted through Mexican courts or await a thirty-month period.
Canadian companies, contributing 22.5% of Mexican mining output, fall outside the T-MEC annex and rely on other treaties. A recent World Bank tribunal denied an award to Canadian investors, highlighting the challenges faced by foreign companies.
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