Mexico’s government is talking to the private sector about expanding fracking as Donald Trump’s trade threats heighten fears over the country’s dependence on US gas, four executives with knowledge of the conversations have said.

Mexico relies on its northern neighbour for 70 per cent of its gas supply, meaning an unpredictable US president could plunge parts of the country into darkness within days. The move towards fracking, long a taboo in President Claudia Sheinbaum’s leftwing ruling party, joins a global trend of countries aiming to cut their exposure to American trade.

Sheinbaum, a former climate scientist, directed officials to explore fracking to help deliver energy independence, the executives said, while government officials had asked companies for their views on developing Mexican shale gas.