2025 Future of Mexico Forum: MND interviews Jesús Carmona Colina of Schneider Electric

On Feb. 6-7, Mexico News Daily and Querencia hosted the “Future of Mexico Forum” at the Querencia Private Golf & Beach Club successful Los Cabos, Baja California Sur. The forum brought unneurotic leaders from Mexico and the United States to sermon the aboriginal of Mexico crossed a divers scope of topics. As portion of this Forum, the MND squad conducted a bid of exclusive interviews with each of the speakers and volition beryllium sharing the highlights with you successful this series.

On the 2nd time of the event, the CEO of Querencia Jorge Carrera moderated a league connected “Mexico’s Energy Landscape” with Jesús Carmona Colina, president and managing manager of Schneider Electric Mexico & Central America.

In a consequent interrogation with Mexico News Daily, Carmona said that Schneider, a France-based multinational, is simply a “world leader” successful “electrical distribution, concern automation, associated services and sustainability services.”

“So we alteration energy to happen,” helium said.

Carmona noted that Schneider has been successful Mexico for 80 years and has 19,500 workers present arsenic good arsenic 11 plants including an intelligence manufacturing hub successful Monterrey.

He said that astir of the products the institution makes successful Mexico — specified arsenic low-voltage electrical organisation boards — are exported to the United States.

This nonfiction mostly focuses connected the energy concern successful Mexico. It draws connected Carmona’s comments successful his forum session, and his remarks during his interrogation with MND.

‘I deliberation we’re moving successful the close direction’  

Carmona said that President Claudia Sheinbaum has “correctly recognized that much vigor is needed successful Mexico” to conscionable demand, including from the country’s increasing concern sector.

He besides noted that determination is an vigor imbalance successful Mexico, with ample energy successful immoderate parts of the state and a shortfall successful others.

Among the national government’s energy objectives, arsenic outlined successful the Plan México economical initiative, is to summation energy procreation by 22,000 megawatts, oregon 22 gigawatts by 2030. In Plan México, the authorities said it would put US $12.3 cardinal implicit the adjacent six years to physique caller powerfulness plants, $7.5 cardinal to fortify transmission networks and $3.6 cardinal to amended organisation networks.

Separately, the Sheinbaum medication precocious submitted six bills to Congress that are aimed astatine the implementation of an energy betterment that was approved by ruling enactment lawmakers precocious past year.

Sheinbaum sends Congress implementation program for vigor reform

Under the reform, the Mexican authorities via the Federal Electricity Commission has a law close to make and proviso the bulk (54%) of energy successful Mexico. Private companies stock the remaining 46% of the market.

Referring to the government’s energy plans, Carmona said that “even if they don’t enactment to the afloat extent,” they volition inactive beryllium “beneficial for Mexico.”

“Maybe if you conscionable get 60% of what’s outlined, oregon 50% oregon 40%, it’s amended than doing nothing,” helium said.

“… So bash I spot affirmative indications that we’re connected the close way with the caller vigor reform? With allowing the 46-54 [share of the energy market] betwixt backstage and public, with allowing the 700 kilowatts for self-generation without permits, with allowing 700 kilowatts to 20 megawatts [self-generation] with permits and storage? Yes, I deliberation we’re moving successful the close direction,” Carmona said.

“Does it mean everything successful … [the plans] I like? No determination are things I judge astir apt could beryllium done differently, but I’d alternatively walk my clip connected what volition enactment alternatively than complaining astir the nuances of what I’d similar to beryllium different,” helium said.

Carmona stressed that Mexico needs to “unlock the imaginable for energy self-sufficiency,” which homes and companies tin execute done measures specified arsenic the installation of star panels. He highlighted that energy consumers tin besides beryllium producers.

Although the vigor betterment guarantees Mexico’s state-owned vigor companies preeminence successful the Mexican market, it volition astatine slightest supply wide operating rules for overseas firms wishing to run successful Mexico. (Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro)

Carmona besides said helium is hopeful that backstage concern successful Mexico’s energy assemblage volition accelerate erstwhile the caller vigor betterment is implemented.

Increasing energy procreation and proviso capableness is of people indispensable to conscionable the request created by Mexico’s astir 130 cardinal people, many of whom are nary strangers to blackouts. Greater energy availability — including that generated from renewable sources — is besides seen arsenic a important enabling origin to let Mexico to pull much overseas concern amid what has been described arsenic a “once-in-a-generation” nearshoring opportunity.

Carmona says renewable vigor concern is ‘far from what we desire,’ but helium is optimistic astir change 

During past year’s statesmanlike predetermination campaign, Sheinbaum committed to spending much than US $13 cardinal successful a renewables-focused vigor plan and declared that an medication she leads would “accelerate the vigor transition.”

Sheinbaum has vowed to grow renewable vigor to 45% of full powerfulness generation successful Mexico by 2030, compared to astir 24% successful 2022.

Carmona said helium believes that Mexico volition “move successful the close direction” with respect to expanding the usage of renewables successful the years ahead.

“We mightiness dislike the pace, but I deliberation we’ll determination successful the close absorption successful presumption of however the Mexican vigor matrix — cleanable vs not cleanable — volition look moving forward, which contiguous is acold from what we desire,” helium said.

Carmona said that each caller self-generation projects volition make cleanable energy.

“The fastest mode to acceptable up a caller works for 5 megawatts … is solar,” helium said.

“… Sun is thing we get [in Mexico]. We get bully prime prima for star vigor production,” Carmona said.

By Mexico News Daily main unit writer Peter Davies ([email protected])