Mexican Supreme Court Suspends SENER Policy

Antitrust regulator COFECE filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court of Justice, resulting in the suspension of SENER’s disputed policy. CFE launched a tender for a 25MW geothermal power plant located on the outskirts of Puebla. Internationally, Hitachi acquired a majority stake in ABB Power Grids and CEOs are being increasingly quiet about climate change goals.

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Mexico’s Supreme Court Suspends SENER Policy

On June 22, antitrust regulator COFECE announced it filed a lawsuit at Mexico’s Supreme Court of Justice directed against a policy published by SENER on May 15. Now, Mexico’s top court has upheld the complaint, meaning that the policy has been suspended until the court issues a definitive ruling, reports Reuters.

The State of Legal Certainty in Mexico's Energy Contracts

On July 25, Mexico Business hosted a webinar focused on legal certainty regarding Mexico's energy contracts. This was the first in a series of webinars that will lead to Mexico Energy Law Summit in 2021. Read the insights of our six experienced and knowledgeable panelists here, as they discuss legal certainty, impacts on finance and judicial approaches.

CFE Launches Tender for 25MW Geothermal Project

CFE has launched an international tender, which seeks a developer for a geothermal project of 25MW on June 30, reported Renewables Now. The power plant, named ‘Los Humeros III Phase B’ will be located in the Los Humeros fields, on the eastern side of Puebla and the western side of Veracruz. The contract tendered will last three years and it will include the design, construction and installation of the geothermal plant. The bidding process will take place online, where interested parties can make their bid until January 28, 2021.

International

Enel Bets Big on Green Hydrogen’s Promise

As part of its wider plans to produce carbon-free power by the year 2050, Enel, one of the world’s most prolific energy generators and distributors, will launch its own green hydrogen business. Countries targeted so far for the production process are the US, Chile and Spain, Reuters reported in an interview with Enel’s Head of Global Power Generation, Antonio Cammisecra. The company’s subsidiary Enel Green Power has a significant presence in Mexico.

CEO’s Focus on Surviving the Pandemic Rather Than Climate Goals

At the beginning of 2020, many hoped it would be the year when companies would reinforce their efforts on fighting climate change. But after COVID-19, companies had to redirect their plans. Bloomberg News analyzed a report powered by Standard & Poor’s, in which 500 companies dropped climate change-related discussions by 50 percent while doing their first-quarter earnings calls when compared to preceding quarter.

Hitachi Acquires Majority Stake in ABB Power Grids

GreenTech Media reported that the acquisition of the majority stake in ABB Power Grids cost Hitachi US$7.8 billion dollars. Hitachi follows the trend set by its main competitors, General Electric and Siemens Gamesa, where the companies increasingly focus on the integration of renewables into the grid, as well as breaking ground in distributed energy and digitalization. By purchasing this majority stake, Hitachi automatically turns into one of the main global solutions providers regarding power grids.