Mexico City’s new airport will be powered by solar

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The project for the New International Airport for Mexico City will also include the construction of a large-scale solar plant.

This was revealed by the U.S. rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) in a document in which it positively evaluates investments to be made in the airport’s “green” projects.

According to S&P, the investment for the PV project would be $21.8 million, while the construction of the “green” buildings would require an aggregate investment of $5.6 billion. In the document, it is not specified if the building will also host rooftop PV projects, but it states that the airport's goal will be to operate with 100% renewable energy and achieve reductions of 30% in water and 40% in energy consumption compared to the existing airport.

“NAICM was conceived as a sustainable infrastructure project from its inception and seeks to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and pollution through certified green buildings, renewable energy (mainly photovoltaic solar), and water treatment,” said S&P in its rating. According to local press, PV installations planned for the new airport may have a combined capacity between 30 MW and 40 MW.

S&P has positively evaluated the first series of senior bonds worth $2 billion that were issued by Mexico City Airport Trust in September 2016. The rating agency also said it expects the bond debt to gradually increase, reaching up to $6 billion over the next two to three years.

The airport is being built on federal land in Ex-Vaso de Texcoco, near Mexico City and, according to the Mexican government, will be the world’s second largest airport.

Grupo Aeroportuario de la Ciudad de México (GACM) assigned the contract to build the airport to a consortium led by Operadora Cicsa, a company owned by Mexico’s entrepreneur Carlos Slim, which also includes Spanish company Acciona.

Acciona had entered the Mexican solar market in September of last year, when it was awarded a 227 MW PV project in a power auction held by the Mexican government.

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