Mexico's SENER Issues New Biofuel Permit Regulations, Effective September 2026
Why It MattersStandardizing permits across biogas, biomethane, biojet fuel, bioethanol, and biodiesel signals Mexico's push to formalize a fragmented biofuel supply chain and attract new project investment.
Mexico's Secretariat of Energy (SENER) has published an agreement in the Federal Official Gazette establishing standardized administrative requirements for biofuel permits and authorizations across the country's energy supply chain. The regulation replaces administrative guidelines issued in November 2009 covering anhydrous ethanol and biodiesel permits, and it enters into force on September 1, 2026. The new framework covers permits and authorizations for the production, importation, exportation, storage, transportation, commercialization, distribution, and public retail of biofuels, including biogas, biomethane, biojet fuel, bioethanol, and biodiesel, implementing provisions of the Biofuels Law and its regulations.
The publication introduces 22 administrative instruments divided across seven technical annexes, including eight permit application forms covering each stage of the commercial supply chain, specialized production authorizations, nine operational control logbooks, and official notice forms for operational commencement, modification, suspension, transfer, or extension of rights. Permit applicants must provide detailed technical and financial documentation, including capacity projections, commercial traceability, source country information for imports, and tax compliance certification.
Brimex has been granted the first national biomethane commercialization permit under current legislation, according to Guillermo Gómez, President of the National Biogas Council (CN Biogas). Gómez said CN Biogas anticipates at least 10 flagship projects will be submitted to SENER for permitting, covering landfill gas recovery and road transport of compressed biomethane, with industry estimates indicating biomethane from organic waste could substitute between 10% and 15% of Mexico's natural gas demand. The National Energy Transition Standardization Committee is also developing technical standards governing quality specifications, safety protocols, and pipeline injection parameters for biomethane integration into distribution networks.
On February 2, 2026, SENER took part in a technical mission to the United States focused on ethanol and Alcohol-to-Jet technologies for sustainable aviation fuel. The bilateral agenda, developed with US energy and agricultural authorities, aims to establish regulatory pathways for ethanol-gasoline blending at levels such as E10 or higher, moving beyond the historical limit of 5.8% set in previous regulations, with federal authorities planning to leverage domestic sugarcane and biomass feedstocks to reduce reliance on imported methyl-based inputs.
