National Biogas Forum: Regulation Must Catch Up With Technology

The VI National Biogas Technical Forum concluded on May 27 at the Mexican Petroleum Institute, focusing on establishing a commercial-scale industrial roadmap to convert organic waste into energy assets and biomethane. Industry leaders shifted the narrative away from replacing existing fossil fuel infrastructure, framing biomethane instead as a locally produced complement that can seamlessly integrate into Mexico's current natural gas distribution networks to boost energy sovereignty.

The primary barrier to scaling this market remains an institutional bottleneck: Mexico lacks specific technical standards and grid injection norms governing gas quality, metering, and pipeline safety. While companies like Brimex Energy showcase the technical viability of commercial-scale waste processing, project developers and gas distributors are restricted from network integration until the recently installed National Energy Transition Standardization Committee formalizes these grid regulations.

The VI National Biogas Technical Forum concluded on May 27 at the Auditorio Bruno Mascanzoni of the Mexican Petroleum Institute in Mexico City, closing three days of technical sessions, panel discussions, and bilateral meetings that brought together federal authorities, state governments, private companies, academia, and international organisms under a single operational objective: establishing the industrial roadmap that would allow Mexico to convert its organic waste into energy assets and biomethane at commercial scale.

The inaugural session brought together Jorge Islas, Deputy Minister of Energy Planning and Transition, SENER; Juan José Vidal, Deputy Minister of Hydrocarbons; Elizabeth Mar Járez, Director General, IMP; and Guillermo Gómez, President, CNBiogás, who set the tone for the three days with a diagnosis that went beyond the purely technical.

The Central Framing: Integration, Not Replacement

Gómez opened by stating that biogas and biomethane are critical components for energy sovereignty and industrial competitiveness, and that "the discussion about biogas and biomethane is no longer solely technological. We are talking about energy security, waste, competitiveness, public policy, and regional development. This forum exists because there is a community that decided to keep building even when the answers are not yet complete."

He specified that the immediate challenge for Mexico is integrating the new energy molecules with existing infrastructure, and urged the development of the regulatory conditions that would allow projects to scale to commercial level. "The question is no longer what we should replace, but what we should learn to integrate. The new energy molecules will have to coexist with the infrastructure and capabilities that Mexico already has," he said.

That framing, integration rather than replacement, defined the intellectual character of the forum. The sector is no longer arguing for biogas as an alternative to the gas system. It is arguing for biomethane as a domestically produced molecule that feeds into that system, reducing import dependence without requiring new pipelines or distribution infrastructure.

The Regulatory Gap That Defines the Bottleneck

Although Mexico has the Bioenergy Promotion and Development Law, it still lacks specific technical standards for injecting biomethane into the national natural gas network. Resolving this gap would facilitate private investment and co-investment projects, and authorities present at the forum agreed that the use of organic waste for biomethane production reduces waste management costs and relieves financial pressure on landfills.

Mexico generates more than 56,000t of organic waste daily, which ends up in landfills and open dumps, releasing polluting gases. The regulatory gap is not a technical problem, biomethane injection into gas networks is standard practice in France, Germany, and the Netherlands. It is a standard-setting and institutional coordination problem: the norms governing gas quality, injection pressure, metering, and safety for biomethane have not been published, which means no project can formally apply for grid injection authorization regardless of how technically viable it is.

The National Energy Transition Standardization Committee, installed earlier this year under SENER's leadership, was cited repeatedly during the forum as the instrument that must deliver those standards. The committee is beginning its work with biofuels and biogas, and the forum served as a direct signal to its members that the sector is ready to move and waiting on the regulatory side.

Companies, States, and International Voices

The program included case presentations from Brimex Energy, BiogE3, and BioNatgas, three companies that represent different segments of the biogas value chain, alongside strong IMP technical presence across sessions on energy efficiency, bioenergy, and new industrial applications. Brimex, which holds Mexico's first commercial biomethane permit under the new framework and operates a plant in Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco processing approximately 900t of organic waste daily, served as the sector's most advanced commercial reference point.

Tamaulipas participated with presentations on its circular economy program, including the production of alternative fuels through pyrolysis and bioethanol from red sorghum, projects positioned at strategic locations within the state and backed by SENER and IMP. The state's Ministry of Energy highlighted that the forum "continues to give us the tools to strengthen public policy and regulation for a new episode of bioenergetics, contributing toward the energy transition and energy sovereignty."

A panel on biomethane injection, virtual pipeline, and new applications drew representatives from Naturgy México, AMGNV, AMGN, BioNatgas, and Igasamex, demonstrating how the private gas sector already sees concrete opportunities to incorporate renewable gases within existing infrastructure. Discussions also addressed the vehicle fuel segment, particularly projects linked to natural gas for vehicles and heavy transport corridors.

The final day featured specialists from France, Spain, and international organizations including the World Biogas Association, IEA Bioenergy, and AVEBIOM, who shared experiences on infrastructure, financing, and biomethane market expansion in more mature markets. The closing session was dedicated to the Methane Agenda in Mexico, the reduction of methane emissions from organic waste being one of the fastest-leverage climate interventions available to the country given its volume of landfill activity.

Six Years, One Consistent Message

The forum's sixth edition drew a line of continuity that its earlier editions could not have drawn. Over six consecutive years, the National Biogas Forum has consolidated its role as a market evolution platform, consistently integrating investors from multiple industrial sectors and articulating global corporations that demand high-viability energy solutions. The shift from academic forum to commercial coordination mechanism is now complete. The question at this edition was not whether biogas and biomethane have a role in Mexico's energy future, but what specific regulatory steps, financing instruments, and procurement mechanisms are needed to get the first ten commercial-scale projects permitted and operational before the end of the current administration.

Gómez Herrera's answer, offered across multiple sessions, was consistent: Mexico needs binding blending standards, tradable compliance instruments, and a standardization committee that delivers grid injection norms within a defined timeline. The technology is ready. The projects are ready. The regulatory infrastructure is not yet and the gap between those two states is what the next edition of this forum will measure.