Mexico holds strategic opportunity in critical minerals, mining group says

Mexico is going through a strategic opportunity to reposition its mining sector within the new global supply chains, said Raúl García Reimbert, president of the National Board of Directors of the Mexican Association of Mining, Metallurgical and Geological Engineers (AIMMGM).

To take advantage of it, the country will have to move toward a mining model based on more technology, added value, sustainability, and engagement with communities, the leader explained during the inauguration of the Nova Mining Expo 2026, in Hermosillo, Sonora.

The meeting, organized by Nova Mining Group to connect mining projects, capital, suppliers, technology and talent, took place at a time marked by the reorganization of supply chains and the growing importance of critical minerals for industry, energy and technology.

Bilateral plan with the U.S.

García emphasized that the Mexico-United States Critical Minerals Action Plan, formalized on February 4, 2026, opens a space for cooperation to secure the supply of strategic minerals. The agreement includes commitments on lithium and silver, as well as the exchange of geological data between the USGS and the Mexican Geological Service (SGM), according to the undersecretary of Foreign Trade, Luis Rosendo Gutiérrez.

"Minerals are no longer just a raw material: today they are a matter of competitiveness, economic security, and industrial sovereignty," said García, within the framework of the Nova Mining Expo 2026.

The executive emphasized that the energy transition, digitalization, electromobility, and artificial intelligence are increasing the strategic importance of mineral resources at the global level.

The mining industry, grouped in the Mexican Mining Chamber (Camimex), is also proposing to incorporate a chapter on critical minerals in the review of the USMCA, a proposal presented at the 9th National Mining Congress Durango 2026; the Mexican government, meanwhile, is considering moving forward through parallel mechanisms so as not to complicate the negotiations with Washington.

According to figures from Camimex, Mexico exports 100% of its barite and graphite production to the United States, 74.2% of its silver and more than 40% of its zinc and lead, among other minerals considered critical by Washington.

Exploration and 2027 budget

García considered that Mexico, and Sonora in particular, has privileged conditions to take advantage of this situation, thanks to its mining tradition, infrastructure, human capital, geological potential, and proximity to the United States.

He added that the reactivation of projects that remained on hold can translate into investment, jobs, supplier development, infrastructure, and new opportunities for communities.

That call to boost exploration coincides with a budget jump: the SGM will allocate 268,3 million (mn) pesos (US$15.8mn) to six exploration projects for lithium, critical minerals, graphite and radioactive minerals in 2027, close to 40% of its geological portfolio for next year, according to the draft 2027 Federal Expenditure Budget.

The figure contrasts with the 57.4mn pesos spent on physical investment during 2026—an 80% collapse compared with the previous year—according to figures from that year’s draft budget.

At the meeting, García also gave the lecture “The vision of mining,” in which he argued that modern activity can no longer be measured solely by the tonnes it produces, but by its ability to generate economic, environmental, and social value simultaneously.

To this end, he called for promoting exploration with artificial intelligence, advanced geophysics, and data analysis, as well as advancing decarbonization and more efficient water management.

He recalled that since January 2026 Mexico has had a General Law on Circular Economy, which seeks to extend the useful life of products and to minimize, recover, and add value to waste, a framework that, he said, represents for mining an opportunity to transform by-products into new resources and value chains.

"The future of mining will not only be about finding more minerals. It will be about finding new ways to create value: with fewer resources, more technology, more knowledge, greater community participation, and environmental responsibility that begins before the first mineral is extracted and continues after the last tonne", said García.

At the National Mining Congress Durango 2026, García stated that the real challenge is medium term: lithium and uranium are not currently critical minerals for Mexico, but the country needs a five- to 10-year exploration policy that incorporates cobalt, chromium, and rare earths, and consolidates the status of copper, zinc, and silver as already strategic minerals.

The discussion comes at a time when various Latin American countries are seeking to position themselves as reliable suppliers of critical minerals for the supply chains of the United States and other economies driving the energy transition.

(The original version of this content was written in Spanish)