Nuevo Leon Shuts Down Cadereyta Refinery

Nuevo Leon has announced the closure of PEMEX's Cadereyta refinery after it failed to cooperate with environmental inspections. PEMEX personnel, supported by the Army, prevented state public officials from entering the refinery. Consequently, the Nuevo Leon government has fully shut down the facility.

For the second consecutive day, access to the refinery was denied to the state government's work team and environmental activists, with armed military personnel stationed at the plant, prompting the total closure.

“Based on environmental monitoring reports, the refinery continues to emit noticeable emissions that pollute the air in Nuevo Leon,” reported the state. Officials from the Ministry of Environment have posted closure notices outside the refinery, along with a banner indicating the denial of access.

On Monday, Feb. 19, a fire was reported at the coke plant of the PEMEX Refinery in Cadereyta, Nuevo Leon. The incident, swiftly controlled without injuries, raised more concerns about the facility’s impact on air quality in the metropolitan region.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has defended the Cadereyta refinery. He refuted claims linking pollution solely to the refinery, highlighting the contribution of various industries to the environmental challenges in Monterrey and its surroundings. Earlier in February, however, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CCA), the environmental agency overseeing issues in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, had also announced its review of an anonymous complaint regarding emissions from the Cadereyta refinery.