Consequences of the National Energy Strategy in the Mexican Energy System: Analyzing Strategic Indicators with an Optimization Energy Model

Antonio Rodríguez-Martínez,Yolanda Lechón,David Castrejón,R.J Romero,Helena Cabal,Marco Flores

doi:10.3390/en11102837

Abstract

This paper presents an approach to the assessment of the Mexican energy system’s evolution under the climate and energy objectives set by the National Climate Change Strategy using an energy optimization model. Some strategic indicators have been chosen to analyze the performance of three integration elements: sustainability, efficiency, and energy security. Two scenarios have been defined in the medium and long-term: the business as usual scenario, with no energy or climate targets, and the National Climate Change Strategy scenario, where clean energy technologies and CO2 emissions objectives are considered. The aim of this work is the analysis of some of those strategic indicators’ evolution using the EUROfusion Times Model. Results show that reaching the strategy targets leads to improvements in the integration elements in the medium and long term. Besides, meeting the CO2 emission limits is achievable in terms of technologies and resources availability but at a high cost, while clean technologies targets are met with no extra costs even in the business as usual scenario.

Highlights

In 2013, the Mexican government launched the energy reform with the main objective of building a new energy system aimed at reinforcing the national sovereignty, economic efficiency, and social welfare using the native energy resources in a rational and sustainable way
Electricity generation with fossil fuels comes from gas followed by coal technologies
It should be kept in mind that costs are not the only factor affecting the penetration of electricity technologies in the model results

Summary

Introduction

In 2013, the Mexican government launched the energy reform with the main objective of building a new energy system aimed at reinforcing the national sovereignty, economic efficiency, and social welfare using the native energy resources in a rational and sustainable way. The reform is accompanied by 21 secondary laws and the national energy strategy (ENE, from the Spanish acronym, Estrategia Nacional de Energía), updated on an annual basis. Has two major strategic objectives, gross domestic product (GDP) growth and social inclusion; four policy measures, (1) transport, storage, and distribution, (2) refining, processing, and generation, (3) oil production, and (4) energy transition; and three integration elements, sustainability, efficiency, and energy security. This work analyses the historical evolution of five indicators representative of the sustainability, efficiency, and security of the energy system: Energies 2018, 11, 2837; doi:10.3390/en11102837 www.mdpi.com/journal/energies

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