Quintana Roo Turns Sargassum Into Clean Energy

Quintana Roo, Mexico — The Caribbean coast has faced an environmental crisis for over a decade due to the massive accumulation of sargassum, a seaweed that once played an ecological role in the open ocean but has now become a threat to biodiversity, tourism, and public health. By 2025, the situation had reached critical levels.

The Dark Threat That Has Settled in the Caribbean

According to the University of South Florida (USF), massive sargassum arrivals have been recorded on Caribbean coasts since 2011, with the exception of 2013. The phenomenon has had severe consequences for countries such as Mexico, the United States, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and other regional islands crucial for development.

In 2025, the problem worsened when scientific projections estimated up to 40 million metric tons of sargassum floating in the tropical Atlantic. When decomposing onshore, the seaweed releases hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas that deteriorates air quality and harms human health. It also contaminates water, damages coral reefs, and blocks coastal infrastructure. The crisis has led to dead fish, marine hypoxia, and the loss of underwater flora.

A study published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment links the phenomenon to the North Atlantic Oscillation (2009–2010), which altered ocean currents and carried sargassum from the Sargasso Sea into tropical zones. There, a combination of nutrients, high temperatures, and Saharan dust triggered an unprecedented proliferation.

Mexico’s Solution to the Crisis

In Quintana Roo, Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa unveiled the Integral Center for Sargassum Sanitation and Circular Economy, a facility designed to convert this environmental liability into a source of clean energy and economic development.

The project aims to contain, collect, and process sargassum to transform it into biogas, electricity, and reusable products. According to local authorities, it represents a sustainable model that not only combats an ecological problem but also generates employment and value for coastal communities.

“Since 2011, large quantities of Sargassum seaweed have appeared in the Caribbean Sea every summer except 2013, causing numerous environmental, ecological, and economic problems,” highlights a USF report. The Mexican initiative is now seen as a turning point—the first time a country has turned the problem into a resource.

A Replicable Model for the Entire Region

If similar facilities were implemented on a large scale in affected countries, the outlook could change dramatically. Experts agree that Mexico’s government has set a precedent in circular economy, environmental innovation, and regional cooperation.

Currently, sargassum management remains costly and limited. The Mexican Navy has collected over 4,200 tons of sargassum in seven Quintana Roo ports so far in 2025. However, the new plant opens the possibility of industrializing the treatment of this biomass.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) already monitors these masses via satellite, but without infrastructure like Mexico’s, the response has been insufficient. Quintana Roo’s achievement could become a regional model and a structural solution for the Caribbean, transforming how it addresses one of its worst ecological crises of the century.

Mexico has not only confronted the sargassum emergency but has also proposed a technological solution with a positive environmental impact.