Mexico’s Environment Ministry Rejects Energy Storage Project Near Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) has rejected a proposal to build a battery energy storage system south of Playa del Carmen after inspectors found that vegetation had already been cleared at the site.

The project was filed in February 2026 by Atlántica y Quartux Almacenamiento de Energía SAPI de CV, which sought to develop it on the San Francisco property, located south of the Playa del Carmen municipality between Puerto Aventuras and Kantenah.

According to the applicant, the system was designed to store electricity drawn from the National Transmission Grid, capturing energy that is normally dissipated and lost so that it could be held in reserve for later use during emergencies or periods of peak demand.

Because the project would affect forested land, the Directorate General for Environmental Impact and Risk (DGIRA) requested technical opinions from several agencies. Among them was the Quintana Roo State Forestry Council, which recommended that no clearing work be permitted or authorized until an environmental impact study had been completed, in order to avoid environmental damage.

During a technical inspection of the site, federal officials confirmed that the applicant had already begun removing vegetation on the property.

Citing that finding, Semarnat denied the request — not only the environmental impact statement but also the change of land use on forested land, according to the published ruling. (Noticaribe)