Energy Minister unveils plan to source 70% of new power generation from renewables: Wednesday’s mañanera recapped

Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds 🎂 Birthday mañanera : Reporters serenaded the president with “Las Mañanitas” as she turned 64 on Wednesday. Two large cakes appeared at the close of the press conference to the sound of the Beatles’ “When I’m Sixty-Four.” Sheinbaum said she’d be celebrating with pozole — one of her favorite dishes — at a birthday lunch with her husband. 🌀 Renewable energy push: Energy Minister Luz Elena González presented the government’s plan to add 32,475 megawatts of generation capacity to the national grid by 2030, with roughly 22,000 megawatts — around 70% — coming from renewable sources, predominantly solar (55%) and wind (30%). Total investment across CFE, joint ventures and private projects is projected at 739 billion pesos (US $41.9 billion). The government’s revised target is at least 38% of electricity from renewables by 2030. ☀️ Biggest solar farm in the Americas: CFE head Emilia Calleja highlighted the Rafael Galván Maldonado Solar Farm in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, which upon completion of its four stages will reach 1,000 megawatts, making it the largest solar installation in the hemisphere. 📉 Two pieces of good economic news: Sheinbaum flagged that annual headline inflation fell to 3.55% in the first half of June, down from 3.94% in May, with tomato prices dropping nearly 24% compared to the second half of last month. She also cited INEGI data showing the Mexican economy grew 2.2% year-on-year in April despite U.S. tariffs and global uncertainty. ⚽ Vamos, El Tri: Sheinbaum wished the Mexican men’s national team luck ahead of their final World Cup group match against Czechia in Mexico City Wednesday night, polling reporters on scoreline predictions before declaring Mexico would win. The team has already secured a place in the knockout stage. Why today’s mañanera matters Reporters sang “ Las Mañanitas ” to President Claudia Sheinbaum at the start of her Wednesday morning press conference as she turns 64 today. “For ‘Las Mañanitas’ there will be cake,” Sheinbaum said, and indeed two large cakes appeared in the Treasury Hall of the National Palace at the end of the mañanera as the Beatles song “When I’m Sixty-Four” played. President Sheinbaum cuts a birthday cake at her mañanera on June 24, 2026. (Gabriel Monroy/Presidencia) During her press conference, the president revealed she would eat pozole at her birthday lunch with her husband. Sheinbaum said that the iconic Mexican dish is one of her favorite foods. The president’s birthday aside, a key focus at today’s press conference was the government’s renewable energy plan. Six months after announcing that private companies would invest US $4.75 billion to build 20 renewable energy projects across 11 Mexican states, Energy Minister Luz Elena González spoke about the government’s specific renewable energy goals during its six-year term, which will conclude in 2030. Sheinbaum, a climate scientist who in 2024 was included on Time’s list of the “100 most influential climate leaders,” is an ardent advocate of renewable energy (unlike her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador), but is also in favor of Mexico taking advantage of its fossil fuel resources, and has recently become a proponent of “sustainable fracking .” At today’s mañanera , the president was firmly wearing her environmentalist, climate scientist hat, largely leaving her views on “sustainable fracking” — which the government appears likely to approve soon — for another day. Also of note at today’s press conference was Sheinbaum’s acknowledgement of two positive pieces of economic news. ‘Renewable energy to strengthen sovereignty’ Sheinbaum announced early in her mañanera that Energy Minister González and the head of the Federal Electricity Commission Emilia Esther Calleja would present information about the government’s renewable energy plan. She said that solar, wind and geothermal energy are all “available” in Mexico and can “guarantee sovereignty.” “We don’t need to import [energy] because