From ESS News
Mexico has for the first time brought battery energy storage systems (BESS) within the scope of its mandatory Social Impact Assessment framework, following the publication by the Ministry of Energy (Sener) of the 2026 Energy Sector Social Impact Assessment guidelines (MISSE) in the Official Federal Gazette.
The regulation establishes a project classification based on MWh capacity and sets higher regulatory requirements for those exceeding 250 MWh. This is an overnight reshaping the technical, financial and territorial planning of utility-scale storage in the country.
Capacity-based classification: Formats A, B and C
The regulation introduces a segmentation framework based on installed MWh capacity.
Format A applies to smaller-scale systems and requires a basic social assessment: identification of the area of influence, a general characterisation of the surrounding environment, a preliminary description of impacts, and standard mitigation measures. This is a simplified process designed for projects with limited territorial reach.
Format B covers mid-sized projects and raises the level of technical and documentary requirements. It demands a more precise delineation of direct and indirect areas of influence, a detailed stakeholder analysis, a structured impact assessment, and the submission of a Social Management Plan including targets, an estimated budget and verifiable indicators. For battery storage specifically, this segmentation introduces a quantitative criterion — installed MWh — that defines the scope of social and regulatory obligations from the engineering stage onwards.
Projects exceeding 250 MWh fall under Format C, the most demanding tier in terms of documentation and analysis, comparable to requirements applied to large-scale generation facilities. This has a direct impact on how utility-scale projects are structured and on timeline planning.
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