Mexico and USA Sign Clean Energy Deals

Mexico and the US signed three MOUs to support the financing and implementation of clean energy and energy efficiency programs in a bid to combine bi-national efforts toward environmental protection.

The documents, which cover environmental measures designed to protect natural resources and mitigate climate change, were signed by Mexico’s energy ministry (Sener) and the US agency for international development (USAID), according to a Sener press release.

The agreements also seek to implement actions to promote the financing of clean energy strategies among SMEs by providing technical assistance, such as the EcoCrédito Empresarial program which seeks to provide financing to help firms enhance their energy efficiency.

The agreements are backed by Mexican development bank Nacional Financiera (Nafin) and the electrical energy saving trust (Fide) and were signed by representatives of each body as well as Sener and USAID.

Climate change has no borders and is a global challenge that requires solutions from global cooperation, and Mexico is taking a step toward combating this challenge by implementing clean and efficient energy initiatives, US ambassador to Mexico Anthony Wayne said.

USAID will collaborate with Sener, Nafin and Fide to support the financing and implementation of clean and efficient energy technology via technical assistance detailed in the Mexico low emissions development program (MLED), part of USAID’s global climate change program that aims to support the develop of public policies to mitigate climate change, Sener said.

Among the projects being developed under the MLED initiative is a Sener study on the impact of renewable energy and best practices of energy regulators in various countries, a system to measure greenhouse gases and the publication of a manual for efficient energy use for the country’s states and municipalities.