Leonardo Beltran, Deputy Secretariat for Energy Transition, Ministry of Energy, Mexico talks about the country’s progress transitioning to a clean economy.
Beltran says it is possible to decouple emissions growth from economic growth in the country and talks about the Mexican government’s recent publication of a national programme for the promotion of renewable energy in the country, which includes a target to have 1 out of every 4MW produced by renewable energy by 2018, one of the most ambitious targets set by a Mexican administration.
He says Mexico has a wide portfolio of renewable energy that it plans to utilise including wind, solar and geothermal energy, hydro power as well as biofuels.
As the fourth largest producer of geothermal energy in the world, Beltran adds that the government has recently proposed a new energy bill to encourage the private sector to invest in geothermal energy in the country.
However, due to recent local opposition to hydro power in the country, Beltran says a consultative council on renewable energy has been created which will incorporate representatives from across the private sector, civil society and local and federal government bodies to discuss expanding hydro power in the country which he believes will have a greater share of Mexico’s energy mix in the future.
On the topic of the 2015 climate deal, Beltran says, Mexico’s latest programme and proposed bill demonstrates to the international community that the country is leading by example .