EU & Mexico unveil first geothermal funding call of $22m
Under a Mexico-European Commission program on research and development of renewable energy projects in Mexico, a first call for geothermal funding of up to $22 million has been issued.
Reported this morning in Mexico, the country’s Energy Ministry (SENER) and the European Commission’s DG Energy unveiled the call under a Geothermal Program, which gives a guaranteed funding up to EUR 20 million ($22 million) or the equivalent to Mexican Pesons 378 million.
This program and funding is available for the next three years and is primarily committed to the promotion of renewable energies and deployment of clean technologies.
This Initiative for cooperation between Mexico and the European Commission provides a platform for creation of international consortia to carry out research, technological development and innovation of advanced technologies in geothermal.
This first call within this framework was now initiated at a meeting of the head of the Energy Ministry (Sener), Pedro Joaquin Coldwell, with the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas. At the meeting the Mexican official explained the progress of the Energy Reform and importance of enhancing research and technological innovation, as well as the training of human resources.
He stressed that this new form of international cooperation with the European Union (EU), has the potential to transform research in this field and to provide a network of international collaboration to experts, institutions, companies and national scientific online order to harness the potential of Mexico in this area.
In his speech, Carlos Moedas explained that as part of the innovation agenda on energy and research, 80 percent of EU funding will be invested in renewable energy, hence the interest in international projects, including Mexico.
He said his mission to enhance cooperation in science and innovation in the energy field with our country and to develop a draft “European region with North America, and later with South America, a common research area”.
The joint call with the European Commission is part of the initiative of the Sener Fund and Sener Sustainability Energy-National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) to support the development of capacity building and human capital high level.
With this agreement the first steps to build a broad cooperation on renewable energy between the EU and Mexico, has been made.
Source: En Contacto