If the pre-work and research has indeed been done, I truly can't see them being that picky. As for the filings, as we've seen, it is entirely possible for us to get completely caught up in a short period. We have at least until the next administration, so we have some months. Silva has stated that the geological evaluation of the Brasil field has already been done. Where else would these blueprints that would have taken years of research have come from?
Here is a research article from 2019 that considers the possible scenarios of getting gas into the Brasil field.
(The following list and image taken from page 68 - 69 of the document.)
The possible ways it lists are:
1) Supply through the National Gas Pipeline System operated by the SISTRANGAS Reynosa-Matamoros section, delivering production from the north of the country, from the CPG Burgos. 2) Supply through the Rio Bravo import point, through an interconnection with the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company. 3) Natural gas delivery through Brownsville import point fueling. 4) Supply through the Concho-El Progreso gas pipeline planned by the Mirage company, designed as a new import point in the northern part of the country in Nuevo Progreso, the pipeline includes taking natural gas from the Waha hub to the Agua Dulce hub and from that point take it to Mexico.
I guess it's possible another company steals the research we've already done, but that wouldn't be an issue with us. Also, Ward is aware of this and has taken precautions to minimize the chance of this happening. Obviously times have been rough, but I see nothing that should automatically take us out of the running. Regarding the oil wells, I hear he still plans on closing on them. And even if he didn't, I wouldn't view it as a death knell for all the reasons listed above. We will have to wait and see what happens in the next administration, at which point we should at least have closure.