Socio-environmental exploration and evaluation of social impacts for direct geothermal uses in Los Baños, Veracruz, Mexico.
- 1Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Ingeniería, Mexico (pao_pot93@hotmail.com)
- 2Departamento de Recursos Naturales, Instituto de Geofísica, UNAM, Mexico (prol@igeofisica.unam.mx)
- 3Departamento de Derecho. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, UAM. Azcapotzalco, Mexico (alsl@azc.uam.mx)
During the geothermal prospecting and exploration stages, different interests may arise that motivate a socio-environmental conflict over the use of the resource. To prevent this, it is important to have a social management plan and consider cultural values within the exploration stages. The objective of this project is to evaluate the social impacts of the implementation of direct use in the Los Baños geothermal zone, in the intraplate volcanism province of eastern Mexico; as well as to identify the main actors of the territory and their perception of the geothermal resource. To do this, semi-structured field surveys were implemented, and the evaluation format required for larger energy projects (in Mexico) was adapted to identify local aspects of the social dimension.
The main results are identification of actors with greater cultural weight and influence in local decision-making, identification of the existence of a socio-environmental conflict linked to mining in the area, identification of the type of direct geothermal use that can be implemented with greater feasibility (social and technical) in the area, a constant dialogue with the managers of the territory and the joint approach of later stages for the social acceptance of the project.
Acknowledgement
Project PAPIIT-UNAM IA100921 Exploración geotérmica en el Oriente de la Faja Volcánica Transmexicana.
Project PAPIIT-UNAM IA102123 Exploración avanzada en Los Baños, Veracruz para usos directos de la energía geotérmica.
How to cite: Olmedo Velazquez, P. A., Jácome Paz, M. P., Silva López, A. L., and Prol Ledesma, R. M.: Socio-environmental exploration and evaluation of social impacts for direct geothermal uses in Los Baños, Veracruz, Mexico. , EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 24–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-10434, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-10434, 2023.
