Indigenous Mexican community approves 396MW wind farm

An indigenous Zapotec community in Mexico's Oaxaca state has signed on to a 396MW wind farm with an estimated annual generation capacity of 1,310GWh to be built and operated by Energía Eólica del Sur.

The approval of the Juchitán de Zaragoza community puts an end to an 8-month consultation process carried out by a committee headed by the energy ministry Sener. Previously, the Zapotec community in Oaxaca's El Espinal municipality had also given its approval, Sener said in a release.

The wind farm will require 14.5bn pesos (US$894mn) in investments and 132 turbines.

There are currently 15 wind farms in operation in Oaxaca, many of which have met with opposition from local residents.

Since construction of the state's first farm, La Venta I in 1994, local residents have created committees to collectively oppose the installation of wind farms, according to Peace Brigades International (PBI).

In April 2014, landowners in Juchitán blocked access to the Oaxaca II and Bii Hioxo wind farms to demand compensation for damage to crops.

At the Oaxaca II plant, protesters complained that the construction of a bridge by Spanish developer Acciona caused the diversion of rainwater that damaged sorghum, peanut, corn and tomato plantations, and that the firm had failed to compensate affected landowners.

In 2012, locals protested during the opening of the Santo Domingo and Piedra Larga wind farms in Oaxaca against land expropriation from indigenous landowners.

The consultation process for the Juchitán project began in October 2014 and consisted of more than 30 meetings and workshops to inform and consult local residents. More than 1,300 members of the indigenous community participated in the consultation, according to Sener.

The state government will also acquire a wind turbine for a municipal wind farm that could further benefit the indigenous community, Sener said.

BNamericas will host its 5th LatAm Power Generation Summit in Lima, Peru, on August 19-20 and its 9th South America Infrastructure & Energy Summit in Bogotá, Colombia, on September 9-10. Click here to download the agendas.