Experts and insiders to debate the future of Mexico's mining industry

The main players and experts in the Mexican mining industry will analyze at an event next month what can be expected from the new legal framework for the sector, which remains uncertain while the May 2023 reform continues to lack regulation and a new proposal to ban open-pit mining has just been approved by a congressional committee.

Last year's reform of four laws regulating mining reduced the maximum term of concessions from 100 to 80 years, established a system of competitive bidding for granting them, made permits dependent on water availability and gave geological service SGM and other public entities exclusive rights to exploration.

The secondary regulations of the new legislation, which were due to be ready last November, have not yet been published.

While the regulation could clear up some legal loopholes in mining and water and waste management, many expect the supreme court to uphold a constitutional challenge filed by the lower house of congress against the reform sometime this year.

Meanwhile, rather than abandoning the country in the face of deep uncertainty, many mining companies are hoping for a more accurate picture with the arrival of a new administration on October 1, led by former Mexico City mayor and loyalist of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Claudia Sheinbaum, also of the Morena party.

Although another more recent proposal by López Obrador to ban open-pit mining was not originally among the president-elect's priorities, the lower house constitutional affairs committee approved the initiative in mid-August, setting off alarm bells in the mining industry.

The proposal is part of a package of constitutional reforms presented by the executive in February, which it calls Plan C and includes a controversial reform of the judiciary.

Agenda

At the Mexico Mining Forum 2024, to be hosted by Mexico Business Events in the capital on September 4, industry leaders, policymakers, regulators and investors will discuss issues that will shape the sector in the coming years.

Key questions on the agenda include:

What are the political priorities on the agenda of the next administration and how could they mold the future of the Mexican mining industry?

What do Mexican mining companies need to prosper and how can the country's attractiveness as a mining investment destination be strengthened?

What are the future ambitions and priorities of junior mining companies, major mining operators, suppliers and service providers?

Karen Flores, general director of mining chamber Camimex; Margarita Vélez, economy secretary of Sonora state; Octavio Alvídrez, CEO of Fresnillo; Faysal Rodríguez, senior VP of Torex Gold México; and Alicia Moreno, director of environmental, social and governance strategy at KPMG México, are just some of the keynote speakers at the forum.

Andrés Pérez-Howlet, senior partner at Molina, Hanff & Pérez Howlet, will participate in the panel ‘Evaluation of Mexico’s mining policy framework and legal outlook’.

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