The Mexican government announced the approval of 20 private renewable energy generation projects totaling 3320 MW of installed capacity and 1488 MW of storage , following the call for proposals launched last October.
The initiatives represent a joint investment of $4.752 billion and will begin implementation in 2026, with a second call for proposals confirmed for the end of next January .
It reflects a clear interest in investing in the country.
That's why we're going to repeat this exercise, said President Claudia Sheinbaum , announcing that this new state planning model will be replicated next year as part of the national energy strategy.
The call for applications, published on October 17 , was designed to accelerate the processes of evaluating and approving permits .
And as reported by Energía Estratégica , their goal was to make 6,000 MW of renewable energy viable .
In total, 5970 MW of renewable capacity were offered, distributed across six regions of the country.
Of these, 3790 MW corresponded to photovoltaic and wind technologies , and finally 20 projects were awarded that met all the technical, social, environmental, financial and legal requirements.
This means that 55% of the offered generation capacity was covered and 58% of the projects proposed in the first call were assigned .
The selected initiatives total 3320 MW of generation and 1488 MW of storage : in total, 15 solar projects will contribute 2471 MW , while 5 wind farms will add 849 MW .
Implementation schedule and regional distribution
The schedule for the entry into operation of these projects includes three phases: 19% will begin operations in 2027 , 78% in 2028 , and the remaining 3% in 2029 , with dates between December 2027 and July 2029 , depending on the type of technology and region awarded.
The approved projects will be located in 11 states of the country , including Campeche, Hidalgo, Yucatán, Guanajuato, Oaxaca, Tamaulipas, Quintana Roo, Puebla, Veracruz, Zacatecas and Querétaro .
In regional terms, the Peninsular region was the most awarded, with 1419 MW and an investment of 2219 million dollars .
They were followed by the Western region , with 701 MW and more than 861 million dollars ; the Eastern region , with 520 MW and 785 million dollars ; the Central region , with 440 MW and 527.2 million dollars ; and the Northeast region , with 240 MW and 358.6 million dollars .
The process was developed in line with the Binding Energy Planning , which marked a structural change in the permitting model.
Unlike the previous scheme, which was based on individual requests from the private sector, the new approach established centralized planning that defines where, with what technology and under what conditions it is possible to generate energy .
This tool made it possible to reduce permit processing times from 8 months to just 2.5 months on average , without sacrificing technical rigor.
The Energy Secretariat made a different plan.
"She said: 'Look, you want to generate private investment, I'm going to tell you where and with what you're going to generate it,'" said President Claudia Sheinbaum, explaining that this model coordinates private investment with the real needs of the country.
"We are guaranteeing sufficient electricity for the development of the country," he added, and stressed that the new model has "order, planning and guarantee," both for the State and for private entities.
The selection of projects was carried out by an inter-institutional Technical Committee composed of the Ministry of Energy (SENER), the National Energy Commission (CNE), the National Energy Control Center (CENACE), the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and other authorities responsible for verifying compliance with social, technical, legal and environmental requirements.
The entire process was channeled through a single window , which allowed for a comprehensive and simultaneous evaluation.
In addition to prioritizing the reliability, continuity, and security of the electrical system , the Committee incorporated criteria such as energy justice and technological innovation into the evaluation of projects.
The official stressed that "these projects were evaluated using social, technical and financial criteria, and now their implementation will also be monitored to ensure their compliance."
"We want permits to be implemented, not just on paper ," González emphasized.
In parallel, the transmission infrastructure will be strengthened to support this expansion. "We are investing in transmission lines because energy is being generated, but how do you transmit it? We are guaranteeing production, transmission, and distribution ," Sheinbaum stated.