Could Offshore Wind Promote Energy Justice in Mexico?

Under President Claudia Sheinbaum’s leadership, Mexico is uniquely positioned to develop an offshore wind industry. Establishing a robust regulatory framework for offshore projects could enable the country to expand renewable generation, meet climate commitments, and attract investment. Although offshore wind remains more expensive than onshore, technological advances are rapidly driving costs down. It also requires less land and often encounters fewer land-use challenges, making it a strategic complement to onshore wind and solar development. A well-designed framework could unlock Mexico’s vast offshore wind potential, diversify the electricity mix, and strengthen energy security. But could it also promote energy justice?

Energy justice focuses on ensuring that the benefits of the energy system are distributed equitably, that communities have a voice in decision-making, and that those most affected by energy production are empowered. Since Mexico has yet to design a regulatory framework for offshore wind, the government has a unique opportunity to address energy justice concerns from the outset. Fortunately, it does not need to reinvent the wheel; it can draw on best practices from countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and other European nations. New offshore wind policies could foster energy justice by engaging marginalized communities in policymaking, remediating those historically harmed by the energy system, and making energy more accessible and affordable. 

Engaging Marginalized Communities

Mexico has significant offshore wind resources. The World Bank estimates 869GW of total technical potential (fixed and floating turbines), with 402GW suitable for fixed-bottom technology. Much of this potential lies in states such as Oaxaca, Campeche, Tabasco, and Yucatan. Developing offshore wind policy will require the participation of national and subnational governments, the private sector, academia, and civil society. However, for these policies to promote energy justice, they must also include leaders from coastal and underserved communities who might be disproportionately affected. Their inclusion in mitigation planning and benefit-sharing mechanisms is essential.

Engaging disadvantaged communities helps ensure that those historically marginalized also gain access to jobs, business opportunities, and environmental and health improvements. For example, the NYSERDA Community Offshore Wind project in New York includes a Public Environmental Mitigation Plan and a Stakeholder Engagement Plan that ensure inclusive participation and equitable outcomes for minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses. In Mexico, offshore wind policies that foster local involvement could align energy transition goals with social and economic development, ensuring benefits are widely shared.

Remediating Communities Harmed by the Energy System

Across Mexico, many Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities have disproportionally experienced the impacts of the fossil-fuel economy. Communities near refineries and coal-fired plants in states like Veracruz and Guerrero have faced challenges such as air pollution and related health problems. Additionally, low-income households also experience higher energy burdens – spending a larger share of income on energy – and are more likely to face energy insecurity or even energy poverty.

An offshore wind industry could help remediate these harms. In Massachusetts, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe entered a historic agreement with Vineyard Offshore, a leading US offshore wind developer. The deal established the Mashpee Wampanoag Offshore Wind Community Fund, supporting scholarships, wastewater infrastructure, workforce training, and the Tribe’s capacity to engage in offshore wind projects. A similar approach could be created in Mexican coastal communities to address environmental injustice and economic exclusion. These initiatives could provide training, jobs, and local investment in regions historically left out of industrial development, fostering long-term skills and “ownership-like” benefits that improve economic resilience.

Accessible and Affordable Energy

Targeted policies in the offshore wind sector can also make energy more accessible and affordable. First, by locating generation close to coastal load centers, offshore wind can reduce transmission and distribution costs, lowering electricity prices for nearby communities. Second, if regulations allow local residents to co-own or invest in projects, marginalised communities could gain earlier access to tangible benefits such as lower rates, job creation, and technical training.

Belgium offers a successful example. The government authorized citizens’ energy communities to jointly invest in offshore wind farms and directly consume the electricity they produce. This policy helps ordinary residents, rather than only large corporations, benefit from cheaper, cleaner power, while improving public acceptance and ensuring that value circulates locally.

Finally, offshore wind projects tend to encounter less land-use constraints than onshore installations, which can streamline development and reduce delays and cost overruns. This means they can come online faster, allowing benefits such as lower emissions, affordable electricity, and job creation to reach communities sooner.

Mexico’s next energy chapter could be defined not only by its ability to harness wind from the sea, but also by its commitment to fairness on land. By embedding energy justice into its offshore wind policy from the start, President Sheinbaum’s administration has the opportunity to ensure that the energy transition uplifts all Mexicans, especially those who have historically had limited access to its advantages.

Sources:
 

Baker, S., DeVar, S., & Prakash, S. (2019). The Energy Justice Workbook: Guidance rooted in energy justice. Initiative for Energy Justice. https://iejusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/The-Energy-Justice-Workbook-2019-web.pdf

World Bank. (2020). Technical potential for offshore wind in Mexico: Map [PDF]. Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/540571586840981675/pdf/Technical-Potential-for-Offshore-Wind-in-Mexico-Map.pdf 

NYSERDA. (2024, September 9). Community Offshore Wind: Public environmental mitigation plan (ORECRFP24-1). https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/-/media/Project/Nyserda/Files/Programs/Offshore-Wind/community-OSW/COSW_Public-Environmental-Mitigation-Plan.pdf

Baker, S., DeVar, S., & Prakash, S. (2019). The Energy Justice Workbook: Guidance rooted in energy justice. Initiative for Energy Justice. https://iejusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/The-Energy-Justice-Workbook-2019-web.pdf 

Vineyard Offshore. (2024, March 21). Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and Vineyard Offshore forge historic tribal benefit agreement. https://www.vineyardoffshore.com/article/mashpee-wampanoag-tribe-and-vineyard-offshore-forge-historic-tribal-benefit-agreement/

International Energy Agency. (2021). Belgium’s citizens communities for offshore wind (Policy No. 17798). https://www.iea.org/policies/17798-belgiums-citizens-communities-for-offshore-wind?