Mexico's energy commission opens lapse proceedings against 132 fuel marketing permits

MEXICO CITY, Oct 27 — Mexico's National Energy Commission (CNE) has opened administrative proceedings that may end 132 permits to market hydrocarbons, petroleum products and petrochemicals, according to an agreement published on Oct 27 in the Diario Oficial de la Federación.

The commission said a review of its files on Sept 1, 2026, found indications that the 132 permit holders recorded no buying or selling of hydrocarbons, petroleum products or petrochemicals from Sept 1, 2025, to Aug 31, 2026.

Under article 88, section I, subsection b, of the Hydrocarbons Sector Law, a permit lapses when its holder does not exercise the rights it grants for 365 consecutive calendar days, if the permit sets no other deadline, the agreement said.

The agreement describes the alleged inactivity as preliminary. The commission said the evidence must be analyzed in each case, after the holders are heard, before it decides whether the permit has lapsed.

Holders listed include Chevron Combustibles de México, Hokchi Energy, Flint Hills Resources México and Altos Hornos de México. The permits were granted between 2015 and 2022.

Holders have 15 business days, counted from the business day after publication and after notice through the commission's electronic filing office, to submit statements and evidence. They then have five business days to file final arguments.

If holders do not respond, the commission will decide using the evidence in each file, the agreement said.

The agreement was signed in Mexico City on Oct 13 by CNE Director General Juan Carlos Solís Ávila, after the commission's Technical Committee approved it that day. The CNE was created by a decree published on March 18, 2025, which abolished the Energy Regulatory Commission.