Climate Politics

Mexico’s Sheinbaum Plans to Spend Billions on Gas, Solar Plants

  • Presidential frontrunner outlines $13.6 billion energy plan
  • Move to renewables would represent shift from her predecessor

Claudia Sheinbaum, former mayor of Mexico City and presidential candidate for the Morena party, right, speaks prior to the first televised presidential debate in Mexico City, Mexico, on Sunday, April 7, 2024. 

Photographer: Stephania Corpi/Bloomberg
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Mexico’s leading presidential candidate would spend around $13.6 billion to boost her country’s use of renewable energy while still adding gas-burning power plants, according to a plan she presented to business leaders.

The plan from frontrunner Claudia Sheinbaum would increase wind and solar power generation, modernize hydroelectric stations and add about 3,850 kilometers (2392 miles) of transmission lines. It would represent a significant shift from the policies of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who prioritized backing state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos rather than renewable power.