Thorsten Herdan (middle, 7th from the left), Director-General for Energy Policy - Heating and Efficiency, with the delegations attending the 1st meeting of the steering group © BMWi
Team "Transición Energética"
¿Energy transition? – ¡Sí! Mexico is another country that is overhauling its energy system. Under its Transición Energética, Mexico is now seeking to reduce its energy use and make greater use of renewables.
The country has set itself energy-efficiency targets for the medium and long term and wants to increase the share of renewables in its electricity system from the current 16 per cent to 50 per cent in 2050. Unlike Germany, however, which will be decommissioning its last nuclear power plant in 2022, Mexico wants to partly rely on nuclear energy. It is also planning to make use of carbon capture and storage (click here to find out more) (in German only).
Last April, the energy ministers of Germany and Mexico signed the documents creating the German-Mexican Energy Partnership, which is to foster dialogue between the two countries on all matters relating to renewables, energy efficiency, and the power and gas markets. The first meeting of the steering group was held in Mexico City on 20 June.
Strengthen the market, conserve energy, promote green electricity!
At their meeting, the members of the steering group notably discussed electricity-market reform, energy efficiency in the industrial sector, energy management systems, and how to integrate large shares of renewables into the grid. The German energy transition is making major strides in all of the various areas of reform.
Mexico and its energy transition stand to benefit particularly from Germany's experience when it comes to deregulating the power market and integrating renewables into the grid. How exactly is this to work? Germany and Mexico agreed in the meeting of the steering group that, among other things, they would organise a fact-finding mission to Germany. During their visit, the Mexican delegation are to see for themselves how exactly Germany is preparing its power market for ever-greater shares of renewables, how market rules are increasingly being applied to renewables, and how we can keep our energy transition affordable.
Germany Year in Mexico – Mexico Year in Germany
2016 is an extraordinary year for German-Mexican relations. During his state visit to Germany in April, the Mexican State President officially launched Germany's Mexico Year. By the same token, a Germany Year was launched in Mexico a few weeks ago. Up until May 2017, Germany and Mexico will be hosting events and launching projects that are all designed to foster German-Mexican cooperation at political level, in culture, science, and within the business community.
The energy transition is to feature prominently within this bilateral cooperation. An exhibition curated by the German Foreign Office and showcasing the energy transition opened in the German Centre at Santa Fe, Mexico City, on 20 June. This global roadshow advertises the merits of the German energy transition and is currently touring the globe. For the next few weeks now, it will be open to visitors in Mexico.
Energy Export Initiative to boost energy efficiency
Last week, a business mission took place under the umbrella of the Energy Export Initiative. Representatives of seven German companies spent a week in Mexico, seeking to gain a stronger foothold on the country's market for energy efficiency. The visit kicked off with a large symposium on energy efficiency in industry, which was attended by numerous Mexican politicians and representatives of German and Mexican industry.
For the German businesses attending, this was an opportunity to engage with prospective business partners from Mexico. The export initiative complements the political energy partnership between the two countries. Business missions like this one tend to often result in cooperation between Mexican and German companies.