BECC and NADB produce results along the border with more than US $4.3 billion in environmental infrastructure projects

Maria Elena Giner, General Manager of the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) took part in the Mexico Infrastructure Summit 2012, held in Mexico City February 15-16.

The Summit aims to address the challenges “facing Mexico in terms of roads, sea ports, airports, rail, water, and social infrastructure,” said in his invitation Greg Barton, Director of the hosting organization, Business News Americas.

The Summit brought together over 600 experts in areas related to infrastructure from across the country, and served to showcase the status of the National Infrastructure Program and its challenges, a few months before the end of the Administration of President Calderon, who certainly gave a boost to public works with innovative financing schemes such as Public-Private Partnerships.

Speakers at the Summit included Jean Marc Aboussan from the Inter-American Development Bank; Antonio Fernandez Esparza, from Mexico’s National Water Commission; Mexico City’s Secretary of Public Works Fernando Aboites; Federico Patino, from Banobras; Francisco Granados, from the Energy Regulatory Commission; and Eugenio Larios, from the Federal Electricity Commission.

BECC’s General Manager, who was one of the last speakers at the Summit on February 16, said that this organization and its sister institution, the North American Development Bank (NADB), have produced significant results in favor of the U.S.-Mexico border with 191 certified projects. The NADB has provided more than US $1.33 billion in loans and grant funding for 152 of these projects, thus benefitting about 14 million border residents. “This financing is highly competitive,” María Elena Giner said.

According to María Elena Giner, this is reflected in an unprecedented trend in infrastructure construction along the United States-Mexico border, with 88 water and wastewater treatment projects, 17 solid waste management projects, projects that ensure proper disposal of 1,550 tons/day of waste, a major impact on road paving on the Mexican side for the benefit of 3.5 million residents, the elimination of 100,000 tons of particulate matter, and 25 water conservation projects in U.S. and Mexican irrigation districts that help save 456 million cubic meters of water annually, in addition to seven renewable energy projects that allow for the elimination of 798.600 tons of C02 equivalent per year, five photovoltaic projects, and a wind farm in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, whose certification and funding were issued by the BECC-NADB Board of Directors just last week.

These results show that the NAFTA environmental side agreements that created these institutions work for the benefit of this dynamic region and strengthen bilateral cooperation, the binational Giner said.