State energy authorities commit to clean energy expansion in Mexico

MEXICO CITY (ICIS)–A growing number of state energy agencies in Mexico are organising and being proactive in advocating for renewables and more energy infrastructure, likely in part to avoid controversies taking place at the federal level and open new opportunities at state and regional levels.

An online Mexico energy movement called We Tweet Energy Mexico gathered a group of regional leaders at Mexican state-level energy agencies and commissions on a 17 July webinar, to discuss their priorities.

The government of the northeast state of Tamaulipas is pushing for wind energy development to take advantage of the abundant wind resources in the state. It is especially focusing on the potential to reach hard-to-service rural communities, said Antonieta Gomez, the director of the energy commission for Tamaulipas.

In Puebla, they are planning for a post-fossil fuel future, looking at how best solar and wind energy could be part of a concerted push to grow the economy after the coronavirus is controlled, said Rodrigo Osorio, the director general of the state of Puebla’s energy agency.

Clean energy will be essential for growing the economy in the post-coronavirus economy, Osorio said.

Several states are also concerned about the future of Mexico’s landmark energy reform and believe that rather than leaving the question to the federal authorities, it might be possible to move it forward on a state or regional level, said Jorge Gorozpe, the director of energy promotion at the state of Nuevo Leon’s economy ministry. Nuevo Leon is home to the high energy demand industrial hub Monterrey.

Osorio agreed, noting that in Puebla, state officials are trying to develop ways to make it easier for clean energy to come online, recognising that their goal is to continue to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

“We are working on the modification of the climate change laws for the state to take advantage of the new technologies that have come into effect,” Osorio said.

NATURAL GAS

The northwest state of Sonora is focusing on the opportunities that more natural gas will bring, not just for cleaner energy, but also as a critical way for the state to meet its growing power needs, said Ivan Arrendondo, the general director of energy for that state’s energy ministry. New pipeline connections with the US in recent years have helped make natural gas generation a growing source of power, but access is still lacking in much of northwestern Mexico.

“It is not a luxury – it is a necessity – it is really important to have this kind of energy,” Arrendondo said.

States like Durango have benefitted greatly from the progress made as a result of the energy reform, said Efraim Castellanos, the director of energy for the state of Durango’s economic development ministry, pointing to plants like the Risen Energy’s 117MW solar generation facility that have come online in Durango as a result. Durango is also home to new natural gas pipelines made possible by the energy reform.

Daniel Hernandez, the director of sector projects for the state of Hidalgo’s economic development ministry, highlighted the importance of natural gas for the industry and manufacturing sectors in Mexico.

Hernandez has worked extensively on converting portions of Hidalgo into a special economic development zone, as a way of attracting additional investment for the developing state and said that access to natural gas is a key ingredient for Hidalgo’s progress.

“It is a dealbreaker for industry – we need natural gas,” he said.

Reporting by Emily Pickrell