First defeat for Mexican government in its fight against renewables

Twenty-three renewable-energy operators have resumed testing of their installations, just a few weeks after the Mexican government halted grid connections for new solar and wind power projects, pending further notice. Mexicio’s National Energy Control Center (Cenace) has faced a series of “amparo” lawsuits since the government introduced the new measures against renewables.

May 22, 2020 Jorge Zarco

Image: Pawiis09/pixabay

From pv magazine Mexico

Mexico’s National Energy Control Center (Cenace) has decided that 23 operators of large-scale renewable energy plant operators will be allowed to resume test operations, mere weeks after the Mexican government halted grid connections for new solar and wind power projects until further notice.

According to several Mexican media outlets, the 23 companies had filed “amparo” lawsuits against the grid-connection suspension, which the government had justified as a measure to protect energy security throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Amparo lawsuits are an extraordinary measure in the Mexican justice system, with no equivalent in the common law tradition. They are usually filed to request the protection of an individual's constitutional rights.

The 23 companies that have been given permission to restart their tests are: Recursos Solares PV de México IV, SA de CV; Akin Solar, SA de CV; Eólica Tres Mesas 4, S de LR de CV; Fuerza Eólica de San Matías, S de RL de CV; Fuerza Eólica del Istmo, SA de CV; Versalles de las Cuatas Uno, SAPI de CV; Versalles de las Cuatas Dos, SAPI de CV; Tai Durango Cuatro Neo, SAPI de CV; Eoliatec del Pacífico, SAPI de CV; Eoliatec del Istmo, SAPI de CV; Versalles de las Cuatas Tres, SAPI de CV; Mitre Calera Solar, S de RL de CV y Eléctrica del Valle de México, S de RL de CV; FV Mexsolar XI, SAPI de CV; Kenergreen, SAPI de CV; X-Elio FV Conejos Médanos, SAPI de CV; X-Elio FV Xoxocotla, SAPI de CV y ENR AGS, SA de CV. Parque Amistad II, SA de CV; Parque Salitrillos, SA de CV, EGP Magdalena Solar, SA de CV, Dolores Wind, SA de CV; and FRV Potosí Solar, S de RL de CV. All of them are special purpose vehicles owned by Mexican companies and international developers.

The administration of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had already halted large-scale renewables auctions. It has also proposed the expansion of national power generation capacity, with 13 GW of new power plants to be entirely operated by Mexican utility CFE.

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