GUADALAJARA, JAL.- An uncomfortable truth permeated the specialists’ presentations: Mexico doesn’t lack fuel or technology, what it lacks is order. This idea defined the atmosphere of the panel “Energies that Drive Change: Present and Future” at Expo Transporte ANPACT 2025 , where experts agreed that the energy transition of heavy transport is advancing faster than the decisions needed to manage it.

Miguel Ogazón, technical manager of Engineering at the National Association of Bus, Truck and Tractor-Trailer Producers (ANPACT) , made clear the purpose of the meeting: to understand the real status of each energy source (diesel, natural gas, electricity and hydrogen) and to confront the challenges of infrastructure, quality and regulation.

The starkest contrast emerged with diesel. Although it is the most readily available fuel in the country, its quality doesn’t always meet the requirements of modern engines . Andrés Gutiérrez, CEO and co-founder of CIEFSA , explained that the unintentional mixing of ultra-low sulfur diesel with product from refineries that don’t yet comply with that standard is a daily problem.

The lack of tanks and proper separation causes fuel to reach carriers out of specification, a situation that originates in the infrastructure , not in the industry.

Regarding natural gas, Andrés Bayona Insignares, founding partner of Promotora  Energética E3,  pointed out the enormous gap between the country’s potential and the available infrastructure .

“With only 125 to 130 stations nationwide, growth is possible, but it depends on streamlining permits and processes,” he said.

For him, natural gas is an economical, ecological and safe option, although it requires a minimum network for its adoption in heavy transport to be viable.

Hydrogen revealed another facet of the future. Ysmael Verde, president of the Mexican Hydrogen Society , explained that Mexico possesses privileged conditions for producing green hydrogen , but its progress depends on specialized infrastructure and refueling stations capable of operating at high pressure. Although projects and tests already exist, a framework for scaling up production is lacking.

The most structural reading came from Adolfo Cimadevilla, Director General of Distribution, end uses of electrical energy and social linkage of the Ministry of Energy , who argued that the electricity generation for a gradual transition does exist, but the charging infrastructure is still insufficient for heavy transport.

He stressed that the country must first define what type of electromobility it wants to promote — urban, last mile or long distance — because without that definition any progress will be fragmented.

Throughout the panel, the concept of articulation was repeated like an inevitable echo: regulations that don’t match, infrastructure that doesn’t grow at the necessary pace, and technologies ready without corridors to support them.

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The Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO) highlighted on Monday the urgency of addressing energy poverty in the southern-southeastern region of Mexico. Despite being one of the areas with the highest natural gas processing in the country, there is a widespread lack of access to this fuel in the region.

This issue is closely linked to deficiencies in the economic and social development of the area, according to the study published by IMCO.

The document proposes specific measures to address these challenges, such as facilitating investment in natural gas transportation infrastructure, expanding the pipeline network to the south-southeast, and replacing coal-fired electricity generation with natural gas.

It also emphasizes the need to harness the complementarity between combined-cycle power plants and renewable energies.

Despite being a prominent region in natural gas processing at the national level, there is a widespread lack of access to this resource in the south-southeast, with over 40% of households in states like Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Guerrero relying on firewood as the primary energy source, a figure significantly higher than the national average.

Furthermore, the penetration of natural gas in households is minimal compared to other regions of the country, being virtually nonexistent in places like Campeche, despite its significance as a national-level producer.

The high costs of electricity in the south-southeast represent another significant challenge, impacting both households and industries and limiting the attraction of new investments in the region.

The statement emphasizes the need for the federal government to take concrete measures to improve conditions in the south-southeast and enhance its attractiveness for investment.

Although projects like the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT) and the Development Poles for Well-being (Podebis) can play an important role in this process, it is imperative to address energy poverty affecting the region first.

The CIIT, a federal government initiative, aims to boost economic development in the south-southeast of Mexico by creating an efficient logistical connection between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, facilitating trade between Asia and America.

Within this framework, the creation of the Podebis aims to generate employment, promote investment, and improve living conditions in the region, aligning with the objectives of the Program for the Development of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which seeks to promote comprehensive and sustainable development in the region and enhance the quality of life of its inhabitants.

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El cargo IMCO Warns of Energy Poverty in Southern Mexico; Proposes These Solutions apareció primero en T21.