While Xóchitl Galvez Ruiz will seek to reopen Mexico’s energy sector to private investment with full respect for the rule of law, in addition to forming federalism in energy, Claudia Sheinbaum advocates continuing the Fourth Transformation energy policy but she won’t rules out “flexibility” and “adjustments” through the 2024-2030 period.
According to the political platforms of each of the leading candidates to occupy the Presidency of the Republic for the next six years, there are several topics in coincidence between both candidates, such as the promotion of renewable energies, electro-mobility, the efforts to reduce fossil fuels sonsumption and their emissions, and strengthening electrical transmission and distribution networks, among others.
However, Galvez Ruiz, candidate for the “Force and Heart for Mexico” coalition, made up of the Institutional Revolutionary (PRI), National Action (PAN) and Democratic Revolution (PRD) parties, has insisted on reopening the country’s energy sector to private, national and foreign investments, a matter in which, during the current administration, this sector has been in legal proceedings mainly due to the protections filed by companies and individuals, in addition to conflicts with the United States and Canada, since energy policy reforms in the matter would violate the trade agreement Mexico has signed with those nations.
“We are going to provide legal security to all those who want to invest in our country, and this way jobs and new wealth can be created,” states one of the commitments of the opposition candidate.
Likewise, the candidate promises the liberalization of permits to generate clean energy, mainly wind and photovoltaic one.
“We are going to release the permits the government denies today to produce large-scale solar electricity,” she says, in relation to various permits that remain unresolved within the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE, for Spanish).
In her commitments gathered in the document “The Best Proposals For Living Without Fear,” Galvez Ruiz advocates that each state of the Republic can develop its own energy policy, according to its needs.
“We will promote energy federalism so that each state contributes to the national energy policy. Likewise, if necessary, each state can develop its own energy policy according to its needs and possibilities,” the document states.
Flexible continuity
As for Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, she is the candidate for the coalition “Together We Will Continue Making History”, made up of the bloc of the Labor Party (PT), the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM) and led by the ruling Regeneration Movement party. Nacional (Morena). She reiterates her intention to continue the political project known as the Fourth Transformation by the current president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
However, in her promises gathered in the document “100 Steps to Transformation” she recognizes that that continuity will occur but clarifies that it will be just with flexibility and some adjustments.
“The 2024-2030 energy policy will be in line with continuity with the effort made during the first stage of the Transformation, without ruling out flexibility and adjustments that take into account goals achieved, new concerns, foreseeable scenarios for 2030 and long-term concerns”, states the document.
In addition, unlike President Lopez Obrador did, Sheinbaum is committed to honoring international commitments Mexico has made regarding its emissions reduction and its contribution to climate change struggle.
No lithium
In the 100 steps, the official candidate is not such an optimistic regarding the availability of lithium in Mexico to meet demand that clean energy technologies will imply.
“Energy policy has a double task: on one hand, the correct functioning of energy sector during the government period; on the other hand, construction of solid foundations to overcome inertia and redirect the sector towards a real and genuinely sustainable future, which will only be reached by recognizing the geological decline on both sides of the border, the abundance of renewable energies but also the limitations, for example, of minerals such as lithium and others, to satisfy the demand for alternative technologies that take advantage of them, and the possibility of continuing development without necessarily increasing energy consumption,” the document states.