BlackRock snaps up Canadian Solar’s 68MW Mexican plant

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Canadian Solar is one of a raft of utility-scale players in a politically-challenging Mexico (Credit: Flickr)

Canadian Solar has found a buyer for a utility-scale PV plant it built and equipped in Mexico’s Aguascalientes state, one of the first to reap auction support in the country.

BlackRock has just completed the takeover, via its second infrastructure-dedicated fund, of a 68MW installation Canadian Solar won contracts for in May 2016.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Operational since January, the plant features 200,000 of Canadian Solar’s CS6U-P high-efficiency poly modules. It is designed to produce 145GWh of power and slash CO2 emissions by 72,700 tonnes.

Deployment was backed via a first US$45 million construction loan from Natixis last August. Four months later, this was repaid through US$69 million in recourse finance Canadian Solar bagged from Bancomext and Banco Sabadell.

Utility-scale heats up as politics bite

As Canadian Solar CEO Shawn Qu noted in a statement, the sale of Aguascalientes still leaves the firm with a 600MW PV pipeline in Mexico, 368MW of it PPA-backed.

Together with Neoen, Engie, IEnova, Northland and Risen Energy, the player is one of a raft making strides with large-scale projects even as the outlook for renewables sours in Mexico.

The Aguascalientes plant secured two long-term PPAs – including a 20-year deal with state utility CFE – in a first energy tender held in 2016, part of reforms by former president Enrique Peña Nieto to open up the market.

Last year’s election of Andrés Manuel López Obrador marked various setbacks for clean energy players, including the cancellation of auctions and potential reopening of PPAs utility CFE claims it was “forced” to sign during the Peña Nieto years.

Read Next

September 5, 2025
Scientists from Germany and Saudi Arabia have discovered that perovskite thin-film cells are compatible with current industry standard silicon solar cells, which they claim is a “crucial step toward the industrialisation of perovskite silicon tandem solar cells”.
September 5, 2025
During a week of major US clean energy developments, ContourGlobal, PSE, Arevon, and Ameren Missouri advanced solar projects across four states in the US.
September 5, 2025
Newly formed firm Solaris Assets has acquired the business operations and assets of Texas-based residential solar installer Sunnova.
September 5, 2025
Research firm Rystad Energy has found that Queensland’s utility-scale solar PV power plants have dominated the best-performing assets, in terms of AC capacity factor, rankings for August 2025.
September 4, 2025
India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, the joint forum of the Centre and States, has reduced the GST rate on renewable energy components from 12% to 5%. 
September 4, 2025
The Czech national cybersecurity agency has warned that Chinese solar inverters represent a threat to the country’s data security.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines