Quintana Roo Plans 4.4 Billion Peso Wind Farm in Othón P. Blanco

Othón P. Blanco, Quintana Roo — A wind farm carrying an estimated investment of 4.4 billion pesos is being planned for this municipality in southern Quintana Roo, with most of the land needed located on communal ejido holdings in Sergio Butrón Casas and Juan Sarabia.

The project, named Vientos del Caribe, calls for the installation of 46 wind turbines with a combined capacity of 208 megawatts. According to project documents, the plant would generate an estimated 661,108 megawatt-hours a year, enough to cover the electricity consumption of more than 200,000 homes. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, with operations starting in 2028.

Land Use and Payments to Ejidos

The wind farm would occupy 1,160.48 hectares, although only 199.52 hectares would be used for temporary and permanent works. The remaining 960.96 hectares — 82.81 percent of the total area under consideration — would remain an exclusion zone.

Developers also plan to pay the ejido communities roughly 20 million pesos a year for the use of the land over a 30-year period, an accumulated payout of close to 600 million pesos.

State Official Cites Energy Needs and Permits

Óscar Rébora Aguilera, Quintana Roo’s secretary of ecology and environment, said the project would help increase the state’s electricity generation. Quintana Roo currently produces about 9 percent of the electricity it consumes.

Rébora Aguilera said Vientos del Caribe holds an environmental assessment and a generation permit, and has gone through a prior consultation process.

The change of forest land use required for the project would cover 47.99 hectares, equal to 4.14 percent of the total surface area considered.