REYNOSA, Tamaulipas – The State of Tamaulipas has inaugurated the largest wind farm in Latin America and announced that tourism has increased over the last year.
The wind farm is known as Parque Eólico Reynosa (Reynosa Wind Farm) is owned by Mexican company Zuma Energía. Its development means Tamaulipas is now in the top three states in Mexico for wind power production.
Governor Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca and Secretary of Energy Pedro Joaquín Coldwell announced the new farm at a news conference at Parque Cultural in Reynosa on Monday. Reporters were then given the opportunity to tour the facility, located less than an hour south of the city.
“The development of the Reynosa wind farm is possible thanks to the fact that companies, industry and the State of Tamaulipas have placed their trust in the new energy model that is leading the Mexican electricity sector to the energies of the future,” García Cabeza de Vaca said.
Parque Eólico Reynosa is the sixth wind farm to be built in Tamaulipas. García Cabeza de Vaca said the growth of the industry has come about thanks to federal energy reform, which allows private equity companies to invest in the development of projects related to this sector.
He said another six wind farms are being built in Tamaulipas and they will be operating in 2019.
García Cabeza de Vaca added that his administration is working with state universities and the Energy Federal Office to promote the development of human capital that drives the local energy sector.
“We want to create a Wind Research Center in Reynosa through the Technological University of Tamaulipas (UTT) and the Autonomous University of Tamaulipas (UAT) that will allow us to certify technicians to promote these type of projects. We want to be at the forefront in projects of this nature,” the governor said.
Zuma Energía invested $600 million for the construction of the Reynosa wind farm, which has 123 wind turbines with capacity to produce up to 424 megawatts, equivalent to the residential electric power consumption in the state of Tamaulipas.
“The creation of the Tamaulipas Energy Commission, which has been a great collaboration to complete the Reynosa wind farm project, seems like a great success. We have large investment plans in the state for the next few years, said Adrián Katzew, CEO of Zuma Energía
Parque Eólico Reynosa is being constructed by the Spanish company Acciona, while the wind turbines are supplied by the Dutch company Vestas.
Tamaulipas Tourism
BROWNSVILLE, RGV – During the month of July, more than 1,854,550 people visited the main tourist attractions of Tamaulipas, state officials have announced.
This represents an increase of 3.72 percent in comparison with the same period of the previous year.
Francisco Galván, director of the Texas Tamaulipas Trade Office in Weslaco, spoke to the Rio Grande Guardian about these numbers while attending a groundbreaking ceremony at the Veterans International Bridge in Brownsville.
“We broke a record in tourism this past summer. We doubled the numbers in people that visited us at the towns of attractions in Tamaulipas so that’s a good sign that the government is doing a good job,” Galván said.
According to the state’s tourism office, income from tourism this summer has exceeding $ 880 million pesos, to the benefit of thousands of merchants in the hotel, restaurant, transport and services sectors.
Hotel occupancy during the summer has averaged 61 percent, as compared to 53 percent last summer.
The cities most visited are Ciudad Madero, Reynosa, Tampico, Matamoros, Aldama and Altamira. These cities secured just over 80 percent of the total number of tourists visting the state.
To assist tourists, the Government of Tamaulipas, in coordination with federal and local authorities, launched the Summer 2018 Security Operation. This operation included the deployment of 3,000 troops and permanent surveillance posts to reinforce highway safety.
In addition, 14 orientation, information and assistance modules were placed, to provide medical, mechanical, crane and tourist information services, while the Blue Angels Program deployed 12 teams of certified mechanics to help tourists whose vehicles break down.
The Secretariat of Tourism also has programs to assist families having a beach vacation, such Cinema Under the Stars and Days of Tam Beach.
The summer holiday period will officially end on Aug.19. Schools reopen on Monday, Aug. 20.
