Mexico's hydrogen association upbeat on growth prospects following government meeting

The development of Mexico's hydrogen potential is set to speed up in 2025 after a promising industry meeting with the energy ministry, according to Israel Hurtado, president and founder of the Mexican hydrogen, storage and sustainable mobility association (AMH2).

"We are going well, we could go even faster, but I expect that in the coming months we will accelerate in conjunction with the authorities," Hurtado told online news channel Arzate Noticias in an interview Thursday.

"Mexico could be one of the countries with the greatest potential for hydrogen production, consumption and export in the world."

The energy ministry agreed to work with the association to develop a national hydrogen strategy, he said.

The meeting was chaired by Hurtado and Jorge Islas, undersecretary for the energy transition.

"Mexico does not have a national hydrogen strategy, while other countries that do have one are going a little faster than us," Hurtado said.

"It is not yet defined. We still need to do a lot of things, but the involvement of public policymakers is important."

There are currently 19 hydrogen projects underway in Mexico, according to the association, representing investments of more than US$20bn.

State-owned energy companies CFE and Pemex are increasingly involved in the development of Mexico's clean hydrogen industry, Hurtado said.

Power company CFE plans to mix hydrogen that has been generated by solar power with natural gas for use in combined cycle power plants.

Oil giant Pemex says it will use hydrogen made from renewable energy in its refineries, initially importing it from the US and then producing it in a joint venture with CFE.

Hurtado singled out energy-intensive datacenters as another source of potential demand for hydrogen in Mexico.