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Mexico ready to make major investment in wind power

In the next five years, wind energy is estimated to reach a capacity of 12,000 megawatts, representing an investment of 12 billion dollars

Between 2020 and 2022 Mexico could reach 12 thousand megawatts of installed capacity - Photo: Courtesy of the Mexican Association of Wind Energy
21/06/2018 |18:54Notimex |
Redacción El Universal
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"In the next five years, wind energy could reach 12 thousand megawatts of installed capacity, which would represent an investment of around 12 billion dollars ," said Leopoldo Rodríguez Olivé , the president of the Mexican Association of Wind Energy (AMDEE) . According to the representative of the wind energy sector, Mexico ranked 18th place among countries with the most wind force and second place in Latin America . In a decade more than four thousand megawatts were installed in the territory, contributing to a sustainable development while guaranteeing the security of the energy sector.

"If the momentum of the sector continues, between 2020 and 2022 Mexico could reach 12 thousand megawatts of installed capacity , since it currently has more than four thousand megawatts, which equals the electricity needs of 411,000 Mexican homes ," he said.

At a press conference for the World Wind Day , he said that tangible results have been achieved in the wind sector since three successful electric auctions have been developed, representing an investment of almost nine billion dollars and a capacity of 7,451 megawatts.

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The president of AMDEE explained that this is equivalent to 10% of the current capacity and is expected to mean significant economic growth for the country, with an estimated impact of 167 billion pesos of gross domestic product (GDP) , equivalent to 1.1% .

In fact, the Ministry of Energy's projections indicate that, from 2018 to 2032 , about 55% of investments in the electricity sector will be dedicated to new clean plants, where at least 22% will correspond to wind technology .

Rodríguez Olivé

assured that they are not worried about a revision of the contracts, because the auctions have been transparent. The Vision 2030 Development Plan , which will be delivered to the candidates, is an invitation for the next federal administration to work on improving the future of Wind energy in the country.

This document contemplates taking advantage of Mexico's wind vocation to guarantee the country's energy sovereignty, since it is one of the lowest-cost sources of energy, he explained.

Likewise, the policies and legal framework must be continued in a transparent manner; ensure that the goals set for 2024 are met and there are longer-term proposals.

It is also important to give transparency to the availability of market information and facilitating the establishment of bilateral contracts between individuals; train multidisciplinary engineers, technicians and specialists.

In addition to taking advantage of and consolidating new opportunities for manufacturing, we should supply national services and regional development; aiming to strengthen the interaction between communities and indigenous populations, he added.

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