Mexico Wants US To Finance 4 Wind Power Plants

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s president said Wednesday that he expects the US government or US banks to provide interest-free loans to build four wind farms in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a narrow swath of southern Mexico.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the US would go there next month with US climate envoy John Kerry to kick off the projects.

López Obrador also fueled speculation that Tesla will build a plant in Mexico, claiming that Elon Musk‘s company was looking at either the northern border state of Nuevo Leon or the state of Hidalgo, just north of Mexico City.

The wind farms on the isthmus are part of López Obrador’s plans to construct ten industrial parks along a renovated rail corridor connecting the Pacific and Gulf coasts to create jobs in Mexico’s poorer, less-developed south.

U.S. Has Made Investments Into Meixco’s Power Infrastructure

However, wind farm construction has previously faced opposition from residents in the area.

Furthermore, López Obrador’s administration previously refused to grant permits for private renewable energy projects backed by foreign investors in Mexico, sparking a commercial dispute with the US.

The president has made significant investments in the long-struggling state-owned electrical power company and stated that the state-owned firm would manage the new wind farms.

López Obrador has advocated for legislation that favors the state-owned electric company over private energy production, which is often cleaner. It is embroiled in a trade dispute with the US and Canada.

SOURCE – (AP)