The Mexican auto transport sector faces a new challenge: the disappearance of the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) and the creation of the National Energy Commission (CNE), a measure that will bring with it significant changes in fuel regulation, directly affecting transporters with self-consumption stations, since the new regulations would force these actors to quickly adapt to stricter controls.
Marcial Díaz Ibarra, from QUA Energy and an energy sector specialist, explained to T21 that “the Hydrocarbons Law, which regulated the entire oil logistics chain, is going to disappear and now, with this commission, we must see how it will be regulated.”
The specialist estimates that there will be some regulatory improvements, “but they will not go against the way they were regulated, where activities will have to continue to be permitted.”
He commented that the activities will be reviewed by the CNE, as the CRE had been doing.
“We hope that it will now have greater growth and greater operational capacity to be able to review and implement the projects that are pending and those that already exist,” said Díaz.
Transporters at the crossroads, investment and rigorous supervision
The new fuel regulations impose key challenges for transporters with self-consumption stations. Those who consume more than 75 thousand liters will have to invest in certified volumetric controls, which will increase their operating costs.
“What we see is that they are regularizing a part of the supply chain that was in limbo because they did not have a permit, and now they are imposing a regularization whether they have a permit or not, just for the simple fact of having self-consumption,” explained Marcial.
Staff training and internal adjustments will also be required to ensure compliance with the new regulations.
This regulatory change is part of a package of reforms promoted by President Claudia Sheinbaum , who signed a set of secondary laws focused on “strengthening” Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) and the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) .
“The public sense of CFE and Pemex as guarantors of energy supply and national sovereignty is being restored,” Sheinbaum said at a morning press conference on January 29, 2025.
Among the reforms, the Law of the National Energy Commission stands out , which will be responsible for regulating the entire production chain of hydrocarbons and petroleum products .
According to Energy Secretary Luz Elena González Escobar, these reforms “are the foundation that was missing to guarantee a strong, reliable, sustainable energy sector, but with national sovereignty and social justice at its core.”
The future of self-consumption and transportation in Mexico
Despite initial challenges, the implementation of the CNE could mean improvements in the regulation of the hydrocarbon sector.
“Every regulation always has a positive aspect. The issue of fuels in Mexico is a necessity,” explained Marcial.
He commented that despite the regulatory changes , the country will continue to depend on diesel and gasoline, so it will be key to observe the new collaboration schemes between the government and the private sector for the development of infrastructure.
According to Marcial Díaz, this is a recognition that the government cannot do it alone and needs the private sector.
“It would be very risky to talk about details right now, but let us assume that all this will not be detrimental to the regulated sector, but on the contrary, they will be able to take advantage of the experiences they have already had and fill the gaps that exist in order to seek regulatory improvement for the benefit of the sector,” concluded Díaz.
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