Heineken’s Yucatán Plant Sparks Water Crisis Fears

Yucatán, Mexico — The transnational beer company Heineken has confirmed the construction of a massive production plant in the municipality of Kanasín, Yucatán, on land controlled by a businessman previously accused of illegal land seizures. The facility is expected to extract millions of liters of water annually, raising alarms among environmental and human rights organizations that warn the region is becoming a “sacrifice zone.”

Industrial Expansion in a Fragile Ecosystem

The new plant is part of the Indara II industrial park, a 1.315-million-square-meter development by Grupo Desur, owned by businessman Mauricio Montalvo Vales. Montalvo faced legal complaints in 2019 from the Union of Pobladoras and Pobladores of Chablekal for allegedly purchasing land illegally.

Heineken’s facility, announced in September 2023 during the administrations of then-Governor Mauricio Vila and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, represents an $8.7 billion peso investment ($435 million USD). The company projects an annual production of 400 million liters of beer, requiring substantial water extraction from Yucatán’s already strained aquifer.

Despite the announcement, the company did not submit its Environmental Impact Manifesto (MIA) to the Secretariat of Sustainable Development until April 2024, nor did it conduct prior, free, and informed consultations with Indigenous communities—a legal requirement for such projects.

Questionable Consultations and Lack of Transparency

A public information meeting was held on January 19, 2024, regarding the Indara II industrial park. Attendees reported heavy security presence, with few local residents in attendance. Eduardo Batllori, former Secretary of Urban Development and Environment under Governor Rolando Zapata (2012–2018), acknowledged the brewery’s water demands but downplayed environmental risks.

In June 2025, Heineken México CEO Oriol Bonaclocha claimed the company conducted an Indigenous consultation in Kanasín. However, the only public record comes from the Yucatán Human Rights Commission (Codhey), which observed the process. According to Codhey, engineers Daniel Sánchez and Daniela Rose assured attendees the plant would not harm the environment or community, though they later acknowledged potential noise, dust, and gas emissions.

Requests for detailed meeting minutes from Codhey have gone unanswered.

Kanasín: A “Sacrifice Zone” for Industry

Kanasín already suffers from pollution due to poultry farms, soft drink factories, and pig farms. The addition of Heineken’s brewery, near the Teya station of the Tren Maya, has drawn criticism from groups like Kanan Human Rights, Reflexión y Acción Feminista, and the Autonomous Water Oversight Board, which warn of worsening water scarcity and industrial contamination.

Miguel Matos, a Kanasín resident, only learned of the project in June 2025 and expressed skepticism about government transparency.

Yucatán’s Water Crisis Deepens

The plant lies within the Ring of Cenotes, a critical hydrological reserve supplying nearly half of Yucatán’s water. Between 2020 and 2024, the state granted permits for industrial extraction exceeding 4 million cubic meters annually, according to the Public Registry of Water Rights (REPDA).

Analyses suggest Heineken could use over 1 million cubic meters of water per year—equivalent to one-sixth of Kanasín’s domestic consumption. While Grupo Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma, Heineken’s local subsidiary, holds nine water concessions in Yucatán totaling 96,086 cubic meters annually, the brewery will likely require additional permits.

Roberto Sánchez, a lawyer with Kanan Human Rights, warned:

“This will worsen contamination in a region where even Semarnat has flagged alarming pollution levels. The state keeps pushing economic models that disconnect people from their land, fueling social decay.”

Tren Maya: Catalyst for Industrial Expansion

The brewery’s proximity to the Tren Maya underscores concerns that the rail project is less about tourism and more about facilitating industrial development. Critics argue Yucatán’s aquifer, already stressed by overexploitation, cannot sustain further extraction.

The Autonomous Water Oversight Board stated:

“While families face water rationing, Heineken will prioritize profits. Who will answer when wells run dry or become contaminated, as they already have in many Yucatán municipalities?”