Mexico awards 3.3GW renewables, 2.6GW solar PV, capacity

Mexico awards 3.3GW renewables, 2.6GW solar PV, capacity

Sunstone expects to begin commercial operations at both projects in June 2028. Across the 20 projects that received awards, the earliest that is expected to reach commercial operation is Energía Solar Herrera’s sole PV project in the tender, with 231MW of capacity that is expected to be operational at the start of December 2027, while projects are expected to come online in December 2028.

The company to receive the most awards is Dhamma Energy Mexico, which will build 400MW of PV capacity across three projects in the state of Hildago. The company said that its projects would reach ready-to-build status in the first quarter of 2026, and are the result of “more than seven years” of work.

“This award is the result of more than seven years of technical work and ongoing dialogue with the authorities, and it reflects the confidence of the government of Mexico, through SENER, in projects that deliver real value to the National Power System,” said Dhamma LATAM managing director Pierre-Yves Gary. “Hidalgo is a key region to meet growing demand and strengthen system reliability,”

The projects were fast-tracked as part of the 2025 Private Power Generation Projects Call, which saw the Mexican Ministry of Energy (SENER) award tenders to 14 companies from both Mexico and abroad. Ultimately, 20 projects across 11 states will be developed as part of the call, with Mexican energy ministry Luz Elena González estimating that this will involve US$4.75 billion in private investment into the Mexican energy transition from the companies winning tenders.

SENER expects to conduct a second call for projects in January 2026 as Mexico looks to dramatically increase the role of domestic renewable electricity generation in its energy mix. In 2024, domestic renewables accounted for 22% of the country’s electricity generation, below the Latin American average of 62%, and the government aims to increase this contribution to 45% over the next five years, in part to reduce reliance on gas imports from the US, which accounted for more than half of its electricity generation in 2024.

The news follows the publication of a report from SolarPower Europe over the summer that described the Latin American solar sector as standing at a “pivotal moment”, with considerable potential for the region’s solar industry.

https://www.pv-tech.org/mexico-awards-3-3gw-renewables-2-6gw-solar-pv-capacity/