The outage began on October 5 when technical issues triggered the isolation of critical infrastructure at the Rio Bravo and Cenagas delivery meters. Kinder Morgan declared force majeure the following day, prompting warnings from the Mexican operator CENAGAS that flows could drop by 20%. With only three days of reserves available, the country remains hyper-sensitive to any instability in U.S. pipeline performance.

American exports to Mexico have surged from 1 billion cubic feet per day in 2010 to roughly 8 Bcf/d today, cementing a reliance that leaves little margin for error. Unlike the United States, Mexico lacks the large-scale underground storage needed to buffer against sudden supply shocks. President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration is now weighing long-term strategies, including hydraulic fracturing and an $8 billion investment in domestic network infrastructure, to mitigate these risks. For now, the power grid remains tethered to the continuous, uninterrupted flow of gas from the north.