Could Offshore Wind Promote Energy Justice in Mexico? – Mexico Business News

Report on Mexico’s Offshore Wind Potential and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Harnessing Renewable Resources for SDG 7 and SDG 13

Mexico is positioned to develop a significant offshore wind industry, which directly supports the achievement of key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A robust regulatory framework is essential to unlock this potential and advance national objectives.

• Vast Potential: The World Bank estimates Mexico has 869GW of technical offshore wind potential, with 402GW suitable for fixed-bottom technology. This capacity is critical for advancing SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) by diversifying the national electricity mix with a renewable source.
• Climate Action: Developing this resource will enable Mexico to meet its climate commitments under SDG 13 (Climate Action) by expanding renewable generation and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
• Strategic Advantages: Offshore wind requires less land than onshore alternatives, mitigating land-use conflicts and complementing existing solar and onshore wind projects. Technological advancements are also making it increasingly cost-competitive.

Integrating Energy Justice to Advance SDG 10 and SDG 16

Mexico has a unique opportunity to embed principles of energy justice into its offshore wind policy from inception. This approach ensures the energy transition is equitable and inclusive, directly contributing to SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). An energy justice framework focuses on:

1. Equitable Distribution: Ensuring the economic and environmental benefits of clean energy are shared fairly among all communities.
2. Inclusive Decision-Making: Guaranteeing that marginalized and coastal communities have a meaningful voice in policy and project development.
3. Remediation of Harms: Addressing and rectifying the historical negative impacts of the fossil fuel industry on vulnerable populations.

Key Strategies for Equitable Development and Community Empowerment

Engaging Marginalized Communities

To align with SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 10, offshore wind policies must prioritize the inclusion of coastal and underserved communities, particularly in states with high potential like Oaxaca, Campeche, Tabasco, and Yucatan.

• Inclusive Participation: Involving local leaders in mitigation planning and benefit-sharing mechanisms ensures that those most affected by development also gain access to jobs, business opportunities, and environmental improvements.
• Best Practices: Models like New York’s Community Offshore Wind project demonstrate how Stakeholder Engagement Plans can secure equitable outcomes for minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses, a practice that can be adapted for Mexico.

Remediating Historical Harms from the Energy System

An offshore wind industry can serve as a tool for restorative justice, addressing the disproportionate burdens borne by Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities from the fossil-fuel economy. This directly supports SDG 10 and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

• Addressing Injustice: Communities near refineries and power plants have historically faced significant air pollution and health problems. Offshore wind development can provide a pathway to a cleaner environment and improved public health.
• Community Benefit Agreements: Following the example of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s agreement with Vineyard Offshore in the US, Mexico could establish community funds to support scholarships, infrastructure, and workforce training in historically excluded regions, fostering economic resilience and local ownership.

Ensuring Accessible and Affordable Energy

Targeted policies can leverage offshore wind to make energy more accessible and affordable, a core target of SDG 7.

• Reduced Costs: Locating generation near coastal load centers can lower transmission costs, potentially reducing electricity prices for local communities.
• Community Ownership Models: International best practices, such as Belgium’s authorization of citizen energy communities to co-invest in offshore wind farms, provide a blueprint. Such models allow residents to benefit directly from cheaper, cleaner power, enhancing public support and local economic circulation.
• Efficient Development: With fewer land-use constraints, offshore wind projects can be developed more quickly, accelerating the delivery of benefits like lower emissions, affordable electricity, and job creation to communities.

Conclusion: A Pathway to Achieving Multiple SDGs

By integrating energy justice into its foundational offshore wind policy, Mexico can ensure its energy transition is not only environmentally sustainable but also socially equitable. This strategic approach will transform the nation’s vast wind resources into a powerful engine for achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals, creating a fairer and more prosperous future for all Mexicans.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article on Mexico’s potential offshore wind industry and the integration of energy justice principles connects to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The analysis identifies the following primary and related SDGs:

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy: This is the central theme, as the article focuses on developing offshore wind as a new source of renewable energy to “expand renewable generation” and “diversify the electricity mix.”
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The core concept of “energy justice” directly addresses this goal by advocating for policies that engage “marginalized communities,” remediate harms to “Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities,” and ensure the benefits of the energy transition are distributed equitably.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The article highlights the potential for the offshore wind industry to create “jobs, business opportunities,” and “workforce training,” particularly for disadvantaged communities, thus fostering inclusive economic development.
• SDG 13: Climate Action: By promoting a large-scale renewable energy source, the article addresses the need for climate mitigation, stating that offshore wind development would enable Mexico to “meet climate commitments.”
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The article touches upon this goal by discussing the negative impacts of the fossil-fuel economy, such as “air pollution and related health problems” in communities near refineries, which offshore wind could help alleviate.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The emphasis on creating a “robust regulatory framework” that ensures “communities have a voice in decision-making” and includes “leaders from coastal and underserved communities” in policymaking aligns with the goal of building inclusive institutions.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The article implies this goal by stating that developing the policy will require collaboration between “national and subnational governments, the private sector, academia, and civil society.”

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s discussion of offshore wind development and energy justice, the following specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

   • Target 7.1: Ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services. The article directly addresses this by advocating for policies that make energy “more accessible and affordable,” especially for low-income households facing “energy insecurity or even energy poverty.” It suggests that locating generation near coastal centers can reduce costs and lower electricity prices.
   • Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. The entire article is premised on this target, focusing on how Mexico can “expand renewable generation” by tapping into its “vast offshore wind potential,” estimated by the World Bank at 869GW.
   • Target 7.a: Enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology… and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology. The article suggests Mexico can “draw on best practices from countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and other European nations” and that a well-designed framework could “attract investment.”

2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all. The article strongly advocates for this by calling for the inclusion of “leaders from coastal and underserved communities” in policymaking and benefit-sharing. It cites the NYSERDA project’s plan for “equitable outcomes for minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses” as a model.
   • Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome. The proposal to “remediate communities harmed by the energy system” directly relates to this target. The example of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s agreement, which funds scholarships, infrastructure, and training, is a mechanism to address “environmental injustice and economic exclusion.”

3. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. The article suggests that offshore wind policies can be aligned with “social and economic development” by creating “jobs, business opportunities,” and providing “workforce training” to foster long-term skills in local communities.

4. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. The article frames the development of an offshore wind industry as a key strategy for Mexico to “meet climate commitments,” thereby integrating climate action into its national energy policy.

5. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels. The call for a regulatory framework that ensures “communities have a voice in decision-making” and the emphasis on the “inclusion [of community leaders] in mitigation planning and benefit-sharing mechanisms” are central to this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article mentions or implies several indicators that could be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:

1. Indicators for SDG 7

   • For Target 7.1: Progress could be measured by tracking the reduction in the energy burden (the share of income spent on energy) for low-income households and monitoring changes in electricity prices in coastal communities.
   • For Target 7.2: A direct indicator is the increase in renewable energy generation capacity (in GW) from offshore wind. The article provides a baseline potential of 869GW. Another indicator is the share of offshore wind energy in Mexico’s total electricity mix.

2. Indicators for SDG 10

   • For Target 10.2: The existence and implementation of formal mechanisms for community engagement, such as a “Stakeholder Engagement Plan,” is a key process indicator. Progress could also be measured by the number of minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses participating in the offshore wind supply chain.
   • For Target 10.3: The amount of investment directed towards historically harmed communities through mechanisms like the “Mashpee Wampanoag Offshore Wind Community Fund” would be a quantifiable indicator. The number of people from these communities receiving scholarships or workforce training is another.

3. Indicators for SDG 8

   • For Target 8.3: The primary indicator would be the number of direct and indirect jobs created by the offshore wind industry, with a specific focus on jobs filled by members of local and marginalized communities.

4. Indicators for SDG 11

   • For Target 11.6: An implied indicator is the reduction in air pollution levels (e.g., particulate matter) in communities historically affected by fossil fuel infrastructure as the country transitions to cleaner energy sources.

5. Indicators for SDG 16

   • For Target 16.7: The number of community leaders or representatives from marginalized groups actively participating in regulatory and planning committees for offshore wind development would serve as an indicator of inclusive decision-making.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: mexicobusiness.news