Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) has granted environmental impact authorization for the La Sauceda Solar photovoltaic project, a 124-megawatt (MW) facility to be developed in the municipality of San Diego de la Union, Guanajuato. The permit, issued through SEMARNAT’s General Directorate of Impact and Risk, allows the project to advance through site preparation, construction, installation, and operation.
According to the approved documentation, La Sauceda Solar will comprise 458,909 photovoltaic panels and 24 transformation centers, occupying a total affected area of 312.99 hectares. The project is designed to generate utility-scale solar electricity, contributing to the expansion of photovoltaic capacity in central Mexico.
The administrative resolution establishes a five-year validity period to carry out site preparation, construction, and installation activities, beginning the day after the formal receipt of the environmental authorization. This timeframe is exclusively allocated to completing the buildout of the plant. For the operation and maintenance phase, SEMARNAT granted a 30-year authorization, conditional on the project being completed within the initial five-year period. This operating horizon aligns with the estimated useful life of the photovoltaic infrastructure.
Once operations conclude, the permit includes an additional two-year period for site abandonment and closure. During this stage, the developer must implement restoration and remediation measures in accordance with the environmental conditions established by the authority.
The approval marks a reversal of a prior outcome for the same project. SEMARNAT had previously denied the environmental impact assessment for La Sauceda Solar after it was submitted on Sept. 30, 2022. At the time, the authority ruled that the developer had failed to comply with public disclosure requirements under Article 34, Section I, of Mexico’s General Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection (LGEEPA).
Under the law, developers must publish a project extract within five days of submitting the environmental impact assessment to enable public participation and access to information for potentially affected communities. SEMARNAT determined that the extract had been published in a newspaper that did not qualify as being of “wide circulation” in either San Diego de la Union or the state of Guanajuato. The authority concluded that the missed disclosure deadline could not be remedied and therefore halted the evaluation process.
The earlier filing described an investment of MXN 1.74 billion (US$99.96 million) for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the 124-MW solar park. With the new authorization, La Sauceda Solar may now proceed, subject to full compliance with the environmental conditions set out in the approval.
SEMARNAT’s authorization comes one month after the Ministry of Energy (SENER) granted 20 new power generation permits to domestic and international companies following a call that concluded in December 2025. The permits—largely focused on renewable energy projects—signaled a cautious but tangible step toward advancing long-delayed energy investments amid mounting pressure from the private sector.
According to reporting by Bloomberg Línea, the permits were awarded to a mix of Mexican developers and foreign-backed firms. Among the most prominent beneficiaries was Green Park Energy, an Iberdrola subsidiary, which received two 25-year permits for solar photovoltaic plants with capacities of 122 MW and 107 MW. The projects—Tecozautla and El Toro—are located in Hidalgo and Guanajuato, respectively, and are authorized to participate in the Wholesale Electricity Market.
Sunstone Power, backed by Danish fund Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), also emerged as a major beneficiary. The company secured two permits totaling 1,044 MW for the La Alegría and La Esperanza solar projects in Campeche. The plants are expected to begin operations in June 2028, positioning CIP as the developer with the largest awarded capacity in this initial permitting round and underscoring the role of foreign capital in Mexico’s energy transition.
In total, the 20 permits represent 3,320 MW of installed capacity and an estimated US$4.75 billion in investment. This figure is approximately 34% below the government’s original projections, highlighting the more measured scale of the first call and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Mexico’s regulatory and financing environment for new generation projects.
The list of approved companies includes a diverse group of solar and wind developers, such as ALTEN Energías Renovables México Once, CGS Solarmex I, Eólica Dzilam, Saturno Solar, Akuwa Solar, Delfín Solar, Zapoteca de Energía, EPM Eólica 24, Energía Solar Herrera, Vientos de Panabá, Global Solar America 2, Eólica del Rocío, PV Tamesí Solar SG, and Martil Solar. The breadth of participants reflects pent-up private-sector interest following years of limited permitting activity.
A key next milestone will occur on Jan. 31, 2026, when awarded companies must sign interconnection contracts with the National Energy Control Center (CENACE) and submit letters of credit to support their financial structures. In parallel, environmental impact authorizations from SEMARNAT will be required for all approved projects.

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