Oaxaca Indigenous Groups Approve Embattled 'Eolica del Sur' Wind Power Project The Yucatan Times
go to original August 4, 2015

Wind turbines tower over cattle near the town of La Venta, in Mexico's Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Opponents of the Eolica del Sur project complain that wind farms have ill effects on fishing and agriculture. (m3dia archives)

Residents of an indigenous community have approved the installation of a huge wind power project in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico, the Oaxaca state government announced last week.

The proposed construction of 132 giant wind turbines is meant to generate 396 megawatts of power, but the project has raised concerns over vibrations, bird killings and invasion of “Ejido” lands.

The company behind the project and the Oaxaca government teamed up to offer residents an average 45 percent reduction in power costs.

State officials said that the project was approved during eight months of negotiations, community consultations and public hearings.

But opponents contend the consultations violated their rights as Mexican citizens. They say that supporters were transported to consultative hearings and that opponents were effectively excluded.

Rodrigo Peñalosa, one of the opponents, said the government “manipulated the consultation process from the start” to assure approval.

Read the rest at The Yucatan Times

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