What the Wind did not Take. The Role of Ranchers in Promoting the Wind Industry in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca

Abstract

In Mexico, the largest wind infrastructure capacity is in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, with nearly 1,600 wind turbines installed on land dedicated mainly to cattle ranching. The objective of this article was to study the role that ranchers in the region played in promoting the wind industry, as well as the benefits they obtained from it. We conducted in-depth interviews, workshops, and a survey to obtain information. There are two main findings: 1) ranchers associated with the ruling party were central in promoting the wind industry; 2) the wealth resulting from land rental concentrated in ranchers with 20 hectares or more, in contrast to the socialization of the effects caused by the installation of wind turbines in farming and grazing areas. We conclude that the wind industry promoted enrichment in a few hands, in contrast to the socialization of damage, the most important being oil contamination, putting livestock in the entire region at risk.