In order to improve Mexico’s use of geothermal fields as a renewable energy resource, the Mexican government created the Mexican Center for Innovation in Geothermal Energy (CEMIE-Geo, in Spanish), a multidisciplinary science consortium formed by 12 research centers and 10 private companies, to be led by Ensenada-based CICESE research center. With an approved budget of U.S.$74 million (958.5 million Mexican pesos) over the next four years, CEMIE-Geo will fund 30 specific projects aimed at technological development, breakthrough science and training of scientists and technicians specialized in geothermal-related research. The center’s strategic research areas will focus on the search for new techniques for geothermal mapping and exploration of Mexico’s territory, environmental impact, electricity generation technology and other industrial applications of geothermal heat, as well as specialized lab projects and human resource training. Technological projects supported by CEMIE-Geo will range from new metal alloys for electricity-generating turbines to software for thermodynamic properties calculations, as well as advanced materials, modeling and commercial/industrial applications of low enthalpy geothermal fields. “Our goal is to have sound scientific research and technology behind the national efforts to explore and exploit Mexico’s geothermal resources,” said Dr. José Manuel Romo Jones, head of the technical management committee for CEMIE-Geo and a researcher for CICESE’s Earth Science Division. Around U.S. $20 million will be used to create a national system of specialized laboratories and state-of-the-art equipment, as well as hiring new scientists, said Dr. Thomas Kretzschmar, a CICESE Geology researcher who will oversee special projects and laboratory funding. Mexico holds fifth place globally in terms of geothermal power-generated electricity with four fields currently in operation nationwide, including Baja California’s Cerro Prieto, one of the world’s largest operational geothermal energy fields, with a production of over 720 Mw and an important source of electricity for southern California. Mexico’s potential energy production is estimated at 6 Gigawatts, yet high costs, exploration risks and a lack of regulation have complicated geothermal energy resource development. “This center’s intention is to contribute to having new renewable energy resources in Mexico to help reduce carbon emissions, generate jobs and have a positive social impact,” said Romo Jones. The most realistic scenario for geothermal resource exploitation that the Mexican government foresees is to increase electricity generation from 890 to more than 2,200 Mw in the next decade, which would account for 27% of the estimated national potential of geothermal resources.