Federal Government Recovers 889,512ha in Mining Concessions

The federal government's recovery of 1,126 mining concessions, totaling 889,512ha, aims to eliminate land speculation and enforce environmental boundaries within Protected Natural Areas. By reclaiming idle titles, 90% of which were held by private individuals, the administration is centralizing control over the project pipeline while a regulatory vacuum for the 2023 reform prevents new grants. 


 

The federal government has recovered 1,126 mining concessions totaling 889,512ha of land. According to federal authorities, most of the recovered land was owned by private individuals, who were allegedly speculating with the land and were not carrying out any exploration or exploitation activity.

During her morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum and officials from the Ministry of Economy (SE) reported that the recovery efforts prioritize concessions that lack active exploration, have failed to pay required rights, or are held for speculative purposes. This follows a previous press conference, where Sheinbaun ruled out changes in the mining regulations and in the State policy of not granting new concessions. “We have it very clear that natural resources cannot be handed over, and we will not open new mines. It is actually the opposite; we are in the process of getting back over 200 mining concessions,” Sheinbaum said in a previous statement. 

Minister of Economy Marcelo Ebrard stated that the administration is reviewing concessions to identify assets that are not contributing to productive activity. "Many of these concessions were granted to individuals for the sole purpose of speculation, compromising a significant amount of land. A concession should be for investment, not for speculation,” Ebrard said.

Fernando Aboitiz, Head of the Unit for the Coordination of Extractive Activities, SE, noted that the total recovered area is approximately equivalent to the territorial size of the state of Queretaro. The primary legal grounds for these cancellations include a two-year delay in the payment of rights and the failure to submit required statistical and work reports. According to Aboitiz, the absence of these reports indicates that the concessions were idle and serving speculative interests rather than mineral development.

A central objective of the program is the environmental protection of sensitive regions, resulting in the recovery of nearly 250,000ha located within Protected Natural Areas (ANPs). President Sheinbaum specified that 713 of the recovered concessions were situated within 240,000ha of protected land. According to her, the government aims to ensure that no mining exploitation takes place in these areas, reinforcing legal protections by removing existing concessions from these territories.

The geographic distribution of the canceled concessions is concentrated in the northern mining states, including Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora, Zacatecas, Durango, and Jalisco. Aboitiz clarified that 90% of the canceled concessions involved private individuals engaged in speculation, while 10% belonged to mining companies. He further noted that certain industry members, such as Minera Autlán and Peñoles, have voluntarily collaborated with the government to return concessions. The administration confirmed that the program is ongoing and further updates on concession reductions are expected by the end of 2026.

No New Mining Concessions, Regulation Still Missing 

While Sheinbaum’s administration has retreated from banning open-pit mining, it maintained its position of not granting new mining concessions. This situation is compounded by a shift in the 2023 reform of Article 13, which replaced the model of temporal priority for land claims with a mandatory public bidding process to ensure economic benefits and environmental respect. 

However, experts point out that a significant regulatory vacuum persists as the administration has yet to enact the secondary regulations required to implement the 2023 Mining Law reform. In an interview with MBN, Rafael Cereceres, Managing Partner, Cereceres Estudio Legal, observed that the suspension of new concessions is a political trend continued from the previous administration, making it unlikely that new titles will be issued during the current term. 

In this environment, Cereceres emphasizes that existing concessions must be leveraged and preserved through the payment of fees, fulfillment of legal obligations, and continued investment, as these are the only concessions available at this time. “I recommend they perform constant internal audits to ensure all of their permits, authorizations, and documentation are up to date. This way, when the new regulations are published, and they want to reorganize or begin a new operation, they are already in compliance,” he said.

Specifically, Art. 13 bis leaves the clauses for bidding contracts to be established by regulations that do not yet exist, rendering the new allocation mechanism inoperative. Consequently, beyond the political decision to halt permits, there is a legal impossibility of granting new concessions because there is no regulated procedure for conducting these bids, says Santiago Suárez, Partner, Servicios Legales Mineros S.C. (SLM). 

This legal freeze also extends to the transfer of concessions between private parties. However, Art. 23 now requires prior authorization from SE; the applicable procedure remains undefined until the pending regulations are finalized.

Suárez highlights that the eventual issuance of these regulations should not be negative for concession holders who maintain a clear understanding of the 2023 reform and adequate legal advice. Key to an orderly transition will be due diligence and detailed knowledge of operations. Furthermore, the regulations are expected to expand the powers and obligations of government agencies, requiring authorities and stakeholders alike to remain prepared for upcoming adjustments.

Strategic Collaboration and Supply Chain Security

Another crucial aspect for the mining sector is the lack of exploration, due to the State’s monopoly, through the Mexican Geological Survey (SGM), in this process. Experts consider that while SGM has world-class engineers, the survey lacks sufficient resources to sustain the required exploration to maintain a project pipeline. 

At the XXXVI International Mining Convention in Acapulco, the industry highlighted a commitment to strengthening Mexico's position within the regional trade framework as a matter of economic security. Ruben del Pozo, President, AIMMGM, called for the recovery of a mixed exploration model, where the State maintains the rectory, but the private sector and academia contribute resources, technology, and knowledge with transparency and accountability. "Today, geologists are running out of work. But tomorrow, it could be the miners, and then the metallurgists, affecting everyone else who works in this industry. We must not forget that mining is a sector of long maturation and high risk. It requires many years and millions of dollars before a project begins production,” del Pozo stressed.