Learning from the Mexican Example

In 2012, the Mexican government passed sweeping legislation that included a call for 35 percent of the nation's energy to be produced by renewable sources by 2024.

The aggressive target, as well as the country's other recent energy-related efforts were the subject of  a symposium, “Mexico’s Energy Reform: Regulatory Policy, its Execution and International Perspective,” hosted Feb. 17 by the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

The symposium brought together industry and policy experts to discuss the reforms currently underway in Mexico, as well as the opportunities it brings both domestically and internationally.

Speakers included Francisco Salazar Diez de Sollano, President of the Mexico's Comisión Reguladora de Energía (CRE), Professor Juan Rosellon from Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE), Harvard University Professor William Hogan and our own Senior Manager Business Development Tom Reid.

In December 2013, the Mexican government passed expansive constitutional energy reforms, allowing for the decentralization of Mexico’s entire energy system, opening its oil, gas and electricity markets to private investment for the first time in decades. Secondary legislation followed shortly after in August 2014, rapidly setting the scene for major industry changes.

Salazar pointed out that Mexico was the first country to expropriate its oil in 1938, which made the sector a source of deep national pride. The longstanding independence and contributions of those oil resources to the Mexican government and economy mean that the enormity of this shift towards a more open energy sector with private investment cannot be overstated.

As part of the efforts to get to 35 percent renewable energy by 2024, the Mexican government will issue clean energy certificates (CECs) to encourage the reduction of emissions and meet the objectives for national emissions reductions. Though the new objectives and CECs do not promote any specific technologies, they open up the potential for growth in clean energies like solar, wind and geothermal energy.

Massachusetts and Mexico have a history of collaboration on energy issues, including a trade mission last year that included MassCEC. That trip focused on building relationships between Mexican and Massachusetts businesses, and included announcements of collaboration between Desalitech and Veolia and a 30 megawatt solar electric facility in the state of Zacatecas. 

MassCEC continues to work with our partners in Mexico to develop new opportunities for clean energy businesses to grow their operations and reduce carbon emissions across the world.