TAIPEI (Reuters) -Mexico’s northern state of Sonora needs to export clear vitality to California and Arizona from an enormous new photo voltaic farm undertaking and play a task within the chip provide chain given TSMC’s $40 billion funding in Arizona, Sonora’s governor mentioned.
The primary section of the Puerto Penasco photo voltaic plant within the sprawling border state, which boasts a few of the highest temperatures within the nation, was inaugurated in February as a part of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s flagship photo voltaic push, which officers have mentioned might boast 4 further vegetation.
Throughout a go to to Taiwan, Sonora Governor Alfonso Durazo mentioned the “Plan Sonora” photo voltaic vitality undertaking wouldn’t solely assist enhance home connectivity to the nationwide grid, but in addition to export to the US.
“Not solely Arizona, but in addition California. It is a part of its goal,” he informed Reuters on Monday. “We need to convert our state into an exporter of unpolluted vitality, significantly for semiconductor and electrical car industries.”
Durazo mentioned he can be assembly main Apple provider Foxconn whereas he was in Taipei to debate potential funding in his state, although was not planning to fulfill TSMC.
Foxconn, which has made electrical autos a significant a part of its future improvement technique, has massive operations in Mexico however no vegetation in Sonora.
“Our curiosity in Foxconn is in establishing semiconductor vegetation, and likewise, ultimately, factories of some or all of the levels of e-mobility,” added Durazo, who is simply visiting Taiwan on this abroad journey.
Durazo mentioned he would love a TSMC chip plant in his state, and that he can be visiting the Hsinchu Science Park, the place the chipmaker does a lot of its manufacturing in Taiwan.
“Assuming as a pure complement of all these processes of relocation of funding in Arizona, we additionally see TSMC as an apparent choice for Sonora state,” he mentioned.
Foxconn and TSMC each declined to remark.
Sonora additionally boasts main lithium deposits, which Lopez Obrador formally nationalised in Mexico earlier this 12 months.
Mexico has but to start manufacturing of the steel, which is a key element for EV batteries.
To facilitate manufacturing, Durazo underlined that personal buyers would be capable of accomplice up with the incipient nationwide lithium firm LitioMx on the situation they established provide chains in Sonora.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Carlos Garcia; Enhancing by Jamie Freed)