Senate Approves Divisive Energy Bill; New ASOLMEX President

Following approval by the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate has greenlighted a bill aiming to put CFE back at the top of Mexico’s energy market. Meanwhile, ASOLMEX appointed a new president, Jaime Pérez de Laborda, and Acciona signed an agreement with Banco Santander.

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Mexico

Senate Approves Divisive Energy Bill

Following last week’s news that the Chamber of Deputies had approved President López Obrador’s changes to the Electrical Industry Law, the Senate reports it has also greenlighted the bill. The modifications are aimed at strengthening CFE by putting its interests above that of private power producers. The senate decided on the issue with 68 votes in favor and 49 against, rejecting the modifications critical deputies had made. Industry analysists were not surprised by the results, pointing out that the ruling party already occupies 64 senate seats. The Business Coordinating Council (CCE) furthermore warned that the measures would drive up energy costs, according to Forbes.

ASOLMEX Presents New President

The Mexican Association of Solar Energy (ASOLMEX) announced its new president for the 2021-2024 period: Jaime Pérez de Laborda, who will also continue his executive function at Balam Fund, replacing Héctor Olea. Olea served as president of the association for the past seven years.

Acciona to Boost Banco Santander’s Carbon Neutrality Efforts

Wind energy giant Acciona has penned an agreement with Banco Santander, helping the bank to offset 145,000 tons of CO2 through a transfer of Certified Emissions Reduction certificates (CERs). CERs are carbon credits backed by the UN and should not be confused with the Mexican clean energy certificates (CELs) granted to power producers. The CERs are coming from Acciona’s Oaxacas 306MW wind farm complex, the company reports.

Mexico Evaluates Nationalization of Lithium

President López Obrador confirmed that the country’s Ministry of Economy continues to evaluate if it will nationalize the mining of lithium, a costly but crucial component to the clean energy transition, as it is used to construct batteries for storage systems and electric vehicles.

International

2021 Set to Be Decisive in EU’s Energy Transition

DW reported that the EU is starting to roll out its US$903 billion pandemic recovery fund, a large part of which will likely focus on renewable energies. 2021 will be a key year for renewable companies in the EU and for the union’s climate neutrality goals in general.

Biden Administration Revises Loan Program Boosting Clean Tech

President Joe Biden’s energy department is reviving a program that distributed billions of dollars in loan guarantees to companies involved in clean technology, such as Tesla and the now-defunct solar company Solyndra, The Guardian reported. The program helped fund the country’s first utility-scale renewable energy projects.