Isthmus of Tehuantepec wind energy project will be largest in Latin America

Oaxaca has announced a US $1.2-billion investment in a wind farm by the Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi Group that will provide a 65-million-peso (US $3.4-million) windfall for the municipality of Juchitán.

Eólica del Sur, or “southern wind power,” will be the largest wind farm in Latin America in terms of investment and size.

To be located in the municipalities of Juchitán and El Espinal in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the project will consist of 132 high-technology wind turbines with a total capacity of 396 megawatts.

Juchitán Mayor Gloria Sánchez López said the cash represented payment for a land-use change and a construction permit for the wind farm, which will the municipality’s 14^th.

Councilors will decide how the money is spent, she said, pointing out the payment will be made “transparently.”