PEMEX Advances Escolín Fertilizer Plant With SEMARNAT Filing

PEMEX has officially registered the Escolín Fertilizer Plant project with Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) through the submission of its environmental impact assessment (MIA), published in the Ecological Gazette. The move marks the formal beginning of a project backed by an investment of approximately US$1.55 million.

The plant is being developed through a partnership between PEMEX’s industrial subsidiary, PEMEX Industrial Transformation (PTI), and Portuguese construction firm Mota-Engil. The facility is expected to take 33 months to complete. Initial plans slated construction to begin in October 2024, work on the site has yet to commence nine months later.

Once operational, the plant will be capable of producing 2,125t of urea per day, with an annual production capacity of 700,000t, including AdBlue. The goal is to reduce Mexico’s dependence on fertilizer imports and bolster self-sufficiency in this strategic sector. Construction is expected to generate between 3,000 and 5,000 jobs.

The facility will include storage zones and energy-efficient auxiliary systems and will occupy a 370,000M2 area within the Escolín Petrochemical Complex, according to SEMARNAT.

Mexico has also implemented programs to improve fertilizer access for farmers. In 2Q25 alone, roughly 1.2 million people benefited from the federal Fertilizers for Well.Being program, which has a budget of MX$17.5 million for 2025 and aims to support domestic agricultural production.