French wind project in Oaxaca stopped after investing billions

1481

The Gunna Sicarú wind farm of the Électricité de France company cannot be built while the lawsuit is resolved, it implies an investment of 6,000 billion pesos.

The Gunaa Sicarú wind project of the multinational company Électricité de France (EDF) on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca, was stopped. A judge granted an amparo to the Agrarian Community of Juchitán, with this the company cannot continue with the project in the territory while the trial is carried out.

Last year the Assembly of Peoples of the Isthmus in Defense of the Land and Territory filed an injunction against the French company since the community members have not given their authorization for the construction of the wind project.

At a press conference, Bettina Cruz, a member of said Assembly, reported that on September 6 they were notified of this decision to suspend outright, which she described as a “historic triumph.”

At the beginning of 2020, the Zapotec Community of Unión Hidalgo also won an amparo for a free and informed consultation to be carried out under the supervision of the federal judicial authority.

Électricité de France obtained the permits for the construction of Gunaa Sicarú since 2016, and in December 2020, the Government of Oaxaca announced the start of its construction.

Bettina Cruz pointed out that since 1994 a great race began for the occupation of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, currently, there are 29 wind farms and more than 3,000 wind turbines that produce around 3,000 MW per hour.

“In the case of Juchitán de Zaragoza there are more than 15 wind farms installed, none of them have the permission of an assembly, because for more than 50 years the agrarian community of Juchitán and its annexes have not had an agrarian authority,” he said.

The project

EDF’s wind project was the product of the second long-term electricity auction that took place during the last administration, in October 2016 the company gained 342 megawatts (MW) through clean energy certificates from Mexico, supply and purchase contracts with the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).

The wind project in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec is 252 MW in an approximate area of ​​4,700 hectares of leased land, the estimated investment is 6,000 billion pesos.

The estimated annual production of the park will be equivalent to the consumption of approximately 473,000 inhabitants in Mexico and will prevent the emission into the atmosphere of approximately 524,000 tons of CO2.

According to company information, the wind project will be interconnected with an existing CFE substation at 400 kilovolts, through a 25-kilometer transmission line.

With Gunaa Sicarú, EDF would add its fourth wind project in Mexico, specifically in Oaxaca.

Source: forbes.com.mx

The Oaxaca Post