Hidalgo, Veracruz Attract Billions in PODEBIS Investment

Summary: Hidalgo and Veracruz are advancing more than MX$16.6 billion and US$2.1 billion in strategic investments, respectively, spanning industrial parks, cement production, health care and LNG infrastructure. The projects underscore the growing role of Mexico’s Polos de Desarrollo Económico para el Bienestar as platforms for manufacturing, logistics, energy and export-oriented investment.

Mexico’s industrial development strategy is drawing billions of pesos and dollars into strategic regions as companies advance projects in manufacturing, logistics, health care and energy infrastructure. 

Hidalgo announced more than MX$16.6 billion in investments for the development of the Reserva Zapotlan Polo de Bienestar and the reactivation of a Cooperativa Cruz Azul cement plant, while URSUS Energy advanced plans for a US$2.1 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz.

The projects highlight the investment potential of the government’s Polos de Desarrollo Económico para el Bienestar (PODEBIS), which seeks to concentrate industrial activity around infrastructure, logistics corridors and strategic markets. Hidalgo’s projects are positioned near major transportation links in central Mexico, while the Coatzacoalcos development forms part of the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT). 

Hidalgo Advances Industrial And Cement Investments

The Hidalgo projects are expected to expand the state’s industrial capacity while creating opportunities for suppliers, logistics operators and companies seeking access to central Mexico’s transportation infrastructure.

Hidalgo Gov. Julio Menchaca announced that Dewa Capital will invest more than MX$10.1 billion to develop the Polo de Desarrollo Económico para el Bienestar Reserva Zapotlan. The project covers approximately 910 hectares in Zapotlan de Juarez, near Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), and is connected to the Mexico-Pachuca highway and the Arco Norte highway.

The development will be built in five phases. Ximena Escobedo Juárez, Undersecretary of Industry and Commerce at the Economy Ministry, said the first phase is scheduled to begin between mid-September and the end of September.

That phase will include MX$1.277 billion for urbanization and backbone infrastructure, in addition to more than MX$2 billion for construction of the first two industrial buildings. The initial stage is expected to generate approximately 5,100 direct and indirect jobs.

At least 35% of the jobs generated by Dewa Capital’s project are expected to go to local workers, creating opportunities for the surrounding labor market and for companies providing industrial services and construction-related activities.

Germán Ahumada Alduncin, Founder and CEO of Dewa Capital, said the 910-hectare development will become an industrial and logistics platform designed to accommodate advanced manufacturing, logistics, pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

The project is expected to combine industrial infrastructure with clean energy, services and complementary facilities, potentially strengthening Hidalgo’s position as an industrial location for companies seeking proximity to Mexico City and the AIFA logistics ecosystem.

The second Hidalgo investment involves Cooperativa Cruz Azul, which plans to invest MX$6.5 billion in Tula. The company expects the investment to support annual cement production of approximately 3 million metric tons. 

Cruz Azul Expands Production And Health Infrastructure

The cement investment is expected to strengthen one of Hidalgo’s established industrial clusters while generating demand for construction, equipment, maintenance and logistics services.

Víctor Manuel Velázquez, Chairman of Cooperativa Cruz Azul’s board, said a new production line represents approximately MX$3.7 billion of the investment and is already 85% complete.

The cooperative will also allocate more than MX$1 billion to its hospital in the state. The modernization plan includes smart operating rooms, a specialty consultation tower, intensive care facilities and blood bank infrastructure.

Together, the industrial and health care investments broaden the scope of Hidalgo’s current investment pipeline, linking manufacturing capacity with supporting infrastructure and employment.

Menchaca said Hidalgo has accumulated 130 projects representing MX$147 billion in investment during his administration. The projects are expected to generate approximately 191,000 jobs, reinforcing the state’s efforts to attract capital through industrial development. 

Veracruz Advances Private Lng Export Project

While Hidalgo is leveraging its central location and transportation infrastructure, Veracruz is positioning the Coatzacoalcos PODEBIS as a platform for energy and export-oriented investment.

URSUS Energy has signed a FEED-EPC framework agreement with Samsung E&A for the Coatzacoalcos-PODEBIS LNG project, marking the start of engineering work for a development that the company describes as Mexico’s first privately developed LNG export terminal, reported MBN. 

The project will be located within the Coatzacoalcos II PODEBIS, one of 11 industrial development zones promoted by the federal government under the CIIT.

URSUS Energy plans to invest US$2.1 billion in a liquefaction facility designed to process natural gas containing high levels of nitrogen. The company plans to capture gas that Pemex has historically classified as unrecovered and that can otherwise be flared or vented because of its composition.

The facility is expected to have an annual production capacity of 2.1 million metric tons of LNG, with exports targeted at markets in Europe, the Caribbean and South America.

The development will use Honeywell technology to address nitrogen pretreatment before liquefaction. Complementary gas transportation infrastructure is also planned as part of the project. 

Energy Infrastructure Creates New Supplier Opportunities

The Coatzacoalcos project could generate opportunities across engineering, construction, cryogenics, specialized welding, valves, logistics and other industrial services as development moves toward construction.

URSUS Energy’s timeline calls for civil works to begin in summer 2026, with first exports targeted for late 2029. The company opened a prequalification portal in August 2025 for specialists in cryogenics, valves, high-precision welding and refrigerated logistics.

The project’s financing structure combines equity and debt. Oppenheimer is serving as fund manager and leading capital raising, including efforts involving institutional investors and debt providers and the potential issuance of green bonds.

URSUS Energy has targeted US$1.2 billion in equity capitalization, with approximately 70% reportedly in firm negotiations or committed. Bancomext has also issued a letter of intent proposing approximately US$450 million in financing for concession obligations, site preparation, platforms, technology licensing and EPC works.

The project’s development illustrates how Mexico’s PODEBIS strategy is expanding beyond conventional manufacturing. By combining industrial parks, logistics infrastructure, energy projects and export platforms, the government is seeking to channel investment into strategic regions.

For investors and suppliers, the projects in Hidalgo and Veracruz point to different opportunities within the same industrial policy framework. Hidalgo is strengthening its position as a central Mexico manufacturing and logistics hub, while Coatzacoalcos is emerging as an energy and export platform connected to the Pacific and Atlantic trade corridors.