New statute reorients the Mexican Petroleum Institute toward lithium

The Ministry of Energy (SENER) published this Thursday, August 27, 2026, in the Official Gazette of the Federation the new Organic Statute of the Mexican Petroleum Institute (IMP), which reorients the public research center toward energy sovereignty, sustainable transition, and the utilization of critical minerals such as lithium. The document, registered under number R.- 579613, was submitted for publication on August 17, 2026, and repeals the statute approved in 2024.

The Mexican Petroleum Institute is a decentralized public body of the Federal Public Administration, of a scientific, technical, technological, educational, and cultural nature, with its own legal personality and assets, sectorized under the Ministry of Energy and recognized as a public research center. The new statute was approved by the institute’s Board of Directors in its 242nd Ordinary Session, held on November 28, 2025, and enters into force the day following its publication in the official bulletin.

A Dual Strategic Mandate

Article 2 of the statute articulates the institute’s objective in a dual mandate to consolidate the Energy and Technological Sovereignty of the Nation. On one hand, to ensure the mastery and efficiency of the integral value chain of hydrocarbons, from the exploration and extraction of fields to refining, petrochemicals, storage, transport, and distribution. On the other, to contribute to the Sustainable Energy Transition and the fight against energy poverty, through renewable energies, decarbonization, circular economy, and energy efficiency.

Among the new lines of work, the strategic management of hydrogen and the utilization of critical metals, with special emphasis on lithium, stand out. The institute may execute land and marine infrastructure projects for the utilization of petroleum, hydrogen, or critical minerals, as well as participate technologically with Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) and the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) in electric cogeneration projects.

New Organic Structure

The statute defines the structure of the institute, led by a Board of Directors and a head of the General Directorate. The organization is composed of the following units:

• General Directorate
• Legal Affairs Unit
• Directorate of Research in Exploration and Extraction
• Directorate of Innovation, Energy Transition, and Industrial Processes
• Directorate of Technology
• Directorate of Technology Transfer
• Directorate of Exploration and Extraction
• Directorate of Engineering and Services
• Directorate of Institutional Operation
• Directorate of Administration and Finance

The institute will also have an Internal Control Body and a Supervisory Body, in accordance with the Organic Law of the Federal Public Administration and the Federal Law of Parastatal Entities.

Abrogation of the 2024 statute

The second transitory article of the new regulation abrogates the Organic Statute approved by the Board of Directors in its 236th Ordinary Session on March 6, 2024. Provisions that do not conflict with the new instrument remain in effect until their modification is determined, and references to areas whose names change shall be understood as referring to the new units. The document was signed by the head of the institute’s General Directorate, Dr. Elizabeth Mar Juárez.

The publication of this statute represents a change in direction for Mexico’s main petroleum research center, which moves from a focus centered on hydrocarbons to a dual mandate that incorporates the energy transition and critical minerals. For readers, the relevance lies in the fact that the IMP becomes a key piece of the national strategy for energy sovereignty and the development of the lithium value chain, with direct implications for research, talent training, and the provision of technological services to the energy sector.

Source: Official Gazette of the Federation, Publication No. 233/2026, Thursday, August 27, 2026, Ministry of Energy, pp. 19-33 (official reference: R.- 579613).