Congressman: Mexican renewable energy a trigger for economy

Renewable energy was a trigger for any economy, so Mexico should learn more about energy management from countries like China to tap its resources, a Mexican congressman said Friday. In an interview with Xinhua, congressman Gerardo Villanueva from the Citizen's Movement party, said a bill on energy secondary legislation was currently before Congress, adding Mexico had to take full advantage of its strategic geopolitical location to avoid a set-back on the energy front in the short term. "We must consider the issue of renewable energies that might substitute for oil," he said. Villanueva, also member of the Congress's Committee on Water Resources, said Mexico had only 10 years worth of total proven oil reserves. "This is not the oil century any more... There will be other alternative resources besides shale gas," he said. Villanueva also said it was possible governments might fund companies to develop renewable energy research. He acknowledged the important role of China in the energy field, saying his country "admires" China's energy regulation and "looks forward so that these visions might be taken up by developing countries." "I think China is interested in establishing strong links with other governments that seek development," he said, adding "China has found formulas to build regional respect so as to generate a multi-polar world."