A 130-megawatt Mexican wind energy farm is currently under production to completely power two of the country’s automotive plants, underscoring Mexico’s increasing focus on sustainable power generation.

Volkswagen Plants in Mexico

The wind farm will power two Volkswagen automotive plants in Silao and Puebla, and is to be located in La Bufa. Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologica, a company based in Spain, has been tasked with building the impressive 130 mega-watt Mexica wind energy farm, which will include sixty-five of the company’s two-mega-watt turbines to power up the factories.

This news comes on the heels of the emission scandal sustained by VW last year, when US authorities revealed that the carmaker had been cheating on emissions testing. After the company lost 40% of its market share in the ensuing weeks, it has announced a new commitment to sustainability, and that it will reduce energy and water consumption by 25% in the next two years. This latest  announcement to switch two Mexican factories entirely over to wind-generated power is seen as a move to make good on this promise. Volkswagen has further promised to invest a total of €600 million in renewable energy between 2012 and 2020.

The electricity generated by the La Bufa Mexican wind energy farm will be exclusively for the Volkswagen factories in Puebla and Silao. Gamesa estimates the project will be completed by December of this year.

Mexican Energy

Mexico is currently one of the largest automobile producers in the world, and Volkswagen having chosen the country as the site for a sustainability comeback makes sense. Not only is the country committed to alternative energy and sustainable growth goals, but Mexico is also an especially favorable location for wind farms.

As recently pointed out by Brian Gardner, energy analyst for Economist Intelligence Unit:

“With strong wind throughout the south, consistent sunlight in the north and a stable market, Mexico is well positioned for continued renewables growth.”

Mexico is one of the world’s largest producers of wind-generated energy, and the country is ambitious to cement this status with literally dozens of wind-energy projects under construction. The Mexican Wind Energy Association believes the nation will have 12 GW of wind generation capacity by 2020 and be capable of providing fifteen percent of Mexico’s total energy production.