Acciona, Iberdrola and Gamesa will play a key role in the growth of Mexico’s wind power

At the present moment there are 31 operational wind farms in the country, and this capacity is expected to increase to 9500 MW by 2018.

AMDEE chairman José Adrián Escofet Cedeño said the coming wind projects will be mainly financed by commercial and development banking, which will lend 80 per cent of the total cost.

The state-owned Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), which is in charge of regulating Mexico’s energy market, is to develop eight wind farms with a total capacity of 2300 MW. Among these new power stations will be Central Eólica Sureste Fase II, located in the state of Oaxaca, well-known for its large wind potential. This wind farm will have an installed capacity of 102 MW.

Spanish companies such as Acciona, Iberdrola and Gamesa will play a key role in the growth of Mexico’s wind power sector. Acciona’s general manager for Mexico, Miguel Ángel Alonso Rubio, has announced that the company plans to add 1000 MW thanks to four new projects. Gamesa aims to add 500 MW, while Iberdrola is to invest about $5bn before 2020, although the exact capacity it plans to install is unknown. Iberdrola will also soon open a 65 MW wind farm in Puebla.

Mexican wind energy is now needed more than ever, not only for the importance of producing electricity through non-polluting devices, but also because of the high cost of conventional power production. Most fossil fuel-fired power stations work through oil combustion, but despite Mexico’s huge oil deposits, these resources are difficult to extract. According to Revista Eólica y del Vehículo Eléctrico magazine, state-owned Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) lacks the technology and resources needed to exploit deep-water oilfields, making support for renewable energy projects even more important.

Oaxaca is one place with better conditions for wind power production. State governor Gabino Cué Monteagudo told NSS Oaxaca that the region is at the top of the world scale for wind energy generation potential. There are currently 21 wind facilities in the state, contributing 90 per cent of Mexico’s overall wind generation. There are also two new projects underway.

The numbers speak for themselves. Wind energy production in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec –were Oaxaca is located- grew from 1.5 MW in 1994 to over 1,250 MW in 2012. The region’s potential is expected to reach 10,000 MW. Among the new projects there is 50-MW Ingenio wind farm.

The federal government is convinced that Mexico’s economic growth will be possible if the energy sector is updated. Renewable sources are the future and among them wind energy is the best positioned.

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