Coahuila to ramp up renewables capacity

Mexico's northern state of Coahuila will gain a place on Mexico's renewables map as it ramps up clean energy generation.

The state will see US473mn invested in three wind farms as a result of the country's third long-term electric power auction. The wind farms - 100MW Amistad II and Amistad III and the 148MW Amistad IV located in the Acuña municipality - will be built by Enel Green Power (EGP) and generate 349MW, the energy ministry announced this week

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EGP is already building the Amistad wind farm, in conjunction with German firm Sowitec, and the US$750mn, 754MW Villanueva solar facility, which will be Latin America's largest, with 3mn solar panels, as well as the adjacent Villanueva 3 solar park, EGP's largest project globally.

Coahuila state government anticipated in June that up to US$1bn will be invested in renewable energy projects in the state over the coming years, making it one of the states that will see major growth in solar power capacity.

The offices of the state and the municipal authorities of the cities of Matamoros and Torreón are supplied with electricity from the 20MW Coahuila solar park, in which the government invested US$44.5mn. Moreover, Mexican mining firm Industrias Peñoles' zinc mining operations in Coahuila are powered by a 180MW wind farm developed by Portugal's EDP Renováveis (EDPR), which currently has 97 turbines but plans to expand to 400.

Also read: Mexico's Coahuila to grow renewables capacity

The third power auction ushered in record-low prices for clean energy at US$20.57/MWh, and the country expects to see a US$2.4bn investment in the construction of 15 power stations in eight states as a result.

Mexico to will hold its first medium-term power auction in February.

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