Developers Seek SEMARNAT Permits for 1.2GW Clean Energy

Private renewable energy developers submitted Regional Environmental Impact Statements (MIA-R) to SEMARNAT for over 1.2GW of solar and wind proposals across Mexico, signaling a new wave of utility-scale permit applications undergoing federal review. A major trend across the submissions is the direct integration of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) alongside generation assets, aligning with recent CNE regulations that grant storage systems legal standing under primary generation permits. The filings impact energy developers, equipment suppliers, and grid operators like CFE and CENACE, underscoring how private capital is navigating environmental compliance and evolving grid requirements to advance clean energy projects.

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Between Aug. 3 and 14, 2026, private energy developers submitted Regional Environmental Impact Statements (MIA-R) to SEMARNAT to initiate the environmental evaluation process for several utility-scale solar and wind projects across Mexico. The projects, representing 1.2GW of new generation capacity, include the direct integration of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) alongside generation assets, aligning with recent CNE regulations. The filings, published in SEMARNAT’s Ecological Gazette, represent permit applications under regulatory review and do not constitute authorized construction or operational approvals.

In San Luis Potosi, Ficus New Energy submitted the Ficus Solar project on Aug. 14, 2026, for a proposed facility in the municipality of Ebano. The proposal outlines an installed direct current capacity of 100MWp, an alternating current capacity of 84MW, and a net capacity of 76.92MW at the point of interconnection with the CFE network. The application incorporates an 82.8MWh energy storage system with 27.6MW of power output, alongside 135,148 bifacial modules over 190ha. 

Similarly, Armería New Energy submitted the Barajas Solar project in Frontera, Coahuila, on Aug. 12, 2026. The filing details a planned 130.3MWp direct current plant and an alternating current capacity of 110.4MW, featuring a 103.5MWh energy storage system and an 8.71km transmission line to connect to the national grid. In Zacatecas, Transformaes Creación Sostenible submitted the San Agustin Solar Park in Villa Hidalgo on Aug. 7, 2026, proposing a solar plant with a nominal capacity of 45MW, a peak direct current capacity of 64.47MWp, and an integrated energy storage system of 48.88MWh.  

Additional solar filings entering evaluation include the 249.90MWp Central Solar Tai Anahuac in Concepcion del Oro, Zacatecas, submitted on Aug. 3, 2026 by Tai Anahuac Solar, the 38.89MWp PSFV Santa Fe in Veracruz by SE Renewable Alpha, and the Planta Solar Mesa Andrade 1 project in Mexicali, Baja California, by PYE Electrificaciones. 

Wind energy applications submitted during the same window account for significant proposed generation capacity in northeastern Mexico. On Aug. 14, Transformaes Creación Sostenible filed an application for the Villagran Wind Farm in Tamaulipas, proposing a 456MW wind power plant comprising 76 Vestas turbines and two step-up substations. A November 2025 report from El Sol de Tampico previously detailed that a 450MW wind power project in the municipality of Villagran was being planned to enter operation in two phases, to be incorporated into SENER's binding energy planning framework.

The same developer also submitted the El Quemado Wind Farm on Aug. 13, located in Mina, Nuevo Leon, which details a 247.5MW generation proposal using 55 wind turbines over a requested project area of 9,648h. 

All submitted proposals remain subject to technical, environmental, and legal review by SEMARNAT's General Directorate of Impact and Risk Assessment (DGIRA). The evaluation process will determine whether the technical specifications, land-use change requests, and environmental mitigation plans meet federal statutory requirements before any development rights are granted. 

BESS Recognized as an Independent Legal Entity

Reporting from MBN details that on Mar. 17, 2026, the National Energy Commission (CNE) published a new model contract in the Federal Official Gazette (DOF) governing the connection and interconnection of power plants, storage systems, and load centers. This regulatory update formally incorporates BESS as standalone legal subjects within Mexico’s national electricity framework. Rather than operating as an unclassified technical accessory, storage assets now possess equal contractual standing alongside generation facilities and load centers. This shift establishes managed node obligations for metering, protection, and bidirectional reporting, while enabling market operators to monetize services such as energy arbitrage, frequency regulation, and firm power.

For developers, CNE's framework clarifies that storage integrated directly into generation assets operates under the primary generation permit rather than requiring a separate standalone storage license. However, this regulatory formalization also introduces stricter execution conditions, as developers must assume all infrastructure and metering costs, post executable performance guarantees, and face contract cancellation by CENACE if project construction exceeds six months of unexcused delay.