mexico, support for the development and uptake of - Unido

create incentives to renewable energy is, up to now, depending largely on the approval of the sector
reforms.
An important part of the energy transition is the development of a national culture of energy saving,
at present mainly conducted by the specialized organizations for energy efficiency. CONAE
calculates that the cumulated savings, reached by different activities, specifically oriented to energy
saving in the Country, are 15.5 TWh. For the year 2013 they will reach 37.8 TWh. On other hand,
to promote efficiency, it has been a readjustment of subsidies of the fuels price and an increment in
the gasoline tax. The entering into force of the Mexican Official Standards for fuels and transport
has had a noticeable effect.
There is not a similar institutional arrangement for the case of renewable energy.
Mexico has implemented some initial policy strategies for renewable energy sources, following the
Energy Sector Program 2001-2006, whose aims are:
• To increase the utilization of renewable energy sources and promote efficient energy
use and savings; and
• To be a leading sector in the protection of the environment.
Renewable energy plus nuclear provided 13.6% of the gross internal energy supply at 2003. At
present (June 2005), the electric generation for public service that use renewable energy reaches
24.4% of the total, 27.4% if nuclear generation is included 84 .
A GEF-assisted project entitled Large-Scale Renewable Energy Development Project; with a grant
amounting USD 70 millions is been developed. The grant will induce private sector producers to
sell electricity to CFE. The grant is on the preparatory phase of designing the Fund mechanism.
The incentive consists in an additional small support related to generating capacity, the smallest the
incentive required the greater the possibility of support. The Fund will cover all technologies, the
most advanced being wind generation.
In relation to the sector’s protection of environment, it has been formed an Energy Committee
(Chair by SENER), where the public energy companies are participating (PEMEX, CFE and
CLFC), as well as the 3 energy sector research institutes (IMP, IIE and ININ) and the Energy
Regulatory Commission. A Program for Energy and Environment was agreed intersectorally.
Parts of the activities of the Program have been the establishment of environmental performance
indicators and the systematic inventory of discharges to air and water (including CO 2 ). For CFE,
the history of discharges covers 5 years and for PEMEX 6 years and are the basis of the sector
Environmental Program. The results are publicly available at the web site of SENER 85 . PEMEX
has incorporated its environmental behavior at the web site of the company 86 .
Barriers to energy transition
In this part of the study, a brief presentation is done of the main barriers for the energy transition;
some of them could be obstacles for the full development of the CDM potential in the Country.
84 Press Report, CFE, June 2005
85 www.sener.gob.mx
86 www.pemex.com.mx
Chapter I, UNIDO-AUSTRIA 54