On Monday, June 23, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that Mexico will not issue any new mining concessions, marking a significant policy shift in the country’s natural resources management.
“There will be no new mining permits—none,” Sheinbaum stated during a press briefing.
She emphasized that her administration would review the environmental impact permits of existing mining operations to assess how much exploration can continue. The move aligns with a broader government effort to address pollution from current mining activities, led by Environment and Natural Resources Minister Alicia Bárcenas.
According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, Mexico remains the world’s largest silver producer and a major source of gold, copper, lead, and zinc. However, investment in the mining sector has declined significantly—$4.5 billion in lost investments during the previous administration, according to industry group CAMIMEX, which declined to comment on the latest announcement.
President Sheinbaum reiterated the importance of lithium production in Mexico, especially in Sonora state, where open-pit lithium extraction requires comprehensive environmental impact assessments.
“If there’s open-pit mining, it must minimize environmental damage and comply with current legislation,” she said. “For example, copper has a significant environmental footprint, and we need to assess how to mitigate that.”
Sheinbaum advocated for domestic value-addition in the mining supply chain:
“We should produce copper-based products—everything that results from copper mining,” she noted.
Earlier in the week, Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard highlighted the strategic role of mining in national economic security during a mining industry conference.
“The President wants us to make an extraordinary effort to enhance our technical capabilities and rethink 21st-century mining practices,” Ebrard said on June 18. “This must align with sustainability and community welfare.”
Mexico’s revised approach reflects a growing emphasis on responsible resource development, balancing economic interests with environmental protection and social responsibility.
[Source – 上海有色网] 墨西哥将不会批准新的采矿特许权 https://news.smm.cn/news/103390881
