US Congressmen reject energy changes proposed by AMLO
Congressman August Pfluger.
Photo: Ting Shen-Pool / Getty Images
Through a letter addressed to the American ambassador Ken salazar, Congressmen from Texas criticized the changes proposed by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, on the market share of private power generators, and favor the state company.
The letter, signed by about 20 congressmen and senators and distributed by Republican August Pfluger, regrets that the government headed by AMLO limits competition in electric power, because the new rules “discriminate against US energy producers”.
The initiative that the president of Mexico sent to his Congress would cancel the contracts with which more than 30 private plants sell electricity in the country, and declares another 239 plants illegal that directly sell electricity to Mexican companies. Almost all work with natural gas or renewable sources.
The same also would end electricity supply contracts in the long plazo, as well as preferential purchase schemes from clean energy. This would mainly affect foreign firms.
In addition, the initiative puts natural gas thermoelectric plants practically to last in the rights to sell electricity, despite the fact that they produce it 2.4% cheaper.
The plants that burn fuel oil, owned by the government, they will take precedence over private solar and wind plants.
“The constitutional reforms proposed by the government (of Mexico) increase state control of the electricity industry and severely limit private investment. These steps, among others, damage our vital business partnership with Mexico and potentially violate key principles of T-MEC”Says the letter.
One of the few renewable sources in which the Mexican government has committed to investing is hydroelectric power. But since dams in Mexico are used for various purposes, there are great doubts about how much electricity they can generate.
The president has made fossil fuels a clear priority.
Sstill reading:
– AMLO says he is an ally of Joe Biden and John Kerry to face climate change
– Joe Biden assures that Mexico is the “closest friend” of the United States
– Mexico, the first commercial partner of the United States
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