Offshore Wind Power, The Hidden Potential of Yucatan

According to Santiago Casillas Arzac, Specialist, KPA Energy Solutions, building a wind power farm off the coast of Yucatan could cover 97 percent of the electricity demand in the peninsula, and thereby solve the deep-rooted energy supply issues in the area.  

A recent study developed by UNAM scientists in collaboration with the National Institute of Electricity and Clean Energy (INEEL) and the Autonomous University of Tabasco, among other higher education institutions, pointed out that the coast of Yucatan is one of the best areas in the country to develop offshore wind farms. The state’s seas showcase excellent potential due to the high speed of its winds and its shallow waters. “Yucatan’s offshore wind farm could supply 97 percent of the annual electricity consumption of the Peninsular Region, which includes Yucatan, Campeche and Quintana Roo, or 74 percent of the consumption of the entire southeast of the country,” the study reads.

The study estimated that the available surface of 48,334 km² could facilitate an installed power capacity of 250.5GW and an annual power production capacity of 10,438.50GWh. “In a scenario during which the wind park works at 100 percent of its capacity, the energy supply would be greater than the offshore installed capacity in China during 2020, which was 217GW,” said Casillas. 

Electricity consumption in Yucatan experienced an average annual growth rate of 5.89 percent over the period from 2015 to 2019, reaching 10,793GWh in 2019. As a result, the region is constantly facing electricity shortage issues, affecting a large part of the population and different sectors of the economy. “In the medium and long term, this will be the alternative to respond to the deficiencies in the electricity service of Yucatan and the rest of the peninsula and even of the southeast, given the growing demand,” said Casillas in an interview with Diario de Yucatan. 

In addition, Castillas stressed that the investment cost of the offshore wind farm in Yucatan would be lower than the global average levelized cost of energy. Furthermore, this kind of technology could contribute to the decarbonization of the Mexican electricity sector, avoiding the emission of 5,156 tons of carbon dioxide.

Russel Guzman, Sales Manager, Vestas, a Danish manufacturer of wind turbines, said the long-term environmental benefits of offshore wind farms outweigh the initial negative impact. He explained that offshore facilities are not built on top of coral reef areas, and once installed, they can actually function as artificial reefs. “Algae and other microorganisms begin to grow on top of the structures, which attracts fish that soon start reproducing, forming a new ecosystem,” Guzman said in an interview with Energía Debate. 

In a global context, 2021 was the best year for the offshore wind market, with the launch of 21.1GW, outgrowing the energy produced the year before by three times. China accounted for 80 percent of that growth, which allowed it to surpass the UK as the world’s largest offshore wind market, according to data from the World Wind Energy Council’s 2022 Global Wind Report.

Furthermore, the US presented a strategy developed by President Biden, with which the administration aims to encourage offshore renewable energy development by building 16 wind farms by 2025 and producing at least 30GW of offshore wind power by 2030.