by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 10:45 AM ET, Mon October 6, 2025
The Mexican state of Quintana Roo, home to several top Mexican Caribbean destinations, is ready to begin building a new biogas plant that would convert sargassum, the brown algae that washes up on area beaches by the tons each year, into sustainable biogas.
According to Riviera Maya News, the state underwent a 14-month pilot project, with engineering and feasibility studies still pending. Yet Óscar Rébora, the State Secretary of Ecology and Environment, is still positive.
“These things take time,” the Secretary said. “The transition from a pilot plant to an industrial plant is a very delicate matter.”
The pilot program cost $40 million, used to research how to turn sargassum and sludge from wastewater treatment plants into biodigestion and biogasification processes. They investigated 140 industrial uses for sargassum: converting it into biogas and bioethanol were proven viable options, able to be scaled up to industrial use.
The entire program would require an estimated $1 billion in funding, with interest from private equity fund Dutch Clean Tech and other parties. Once the funding is approved, construction can begin as soon as January, 2026. The conversion process can pose health risks, though, so there are still hurdles to pass before
Quintana Roo officials in September reported collecting a record 76,000 tons of sargassum from area beaches and offshore containment units this season, which runs from April through the end of October.
“We are at the forefront of the region, being the state that has invested the most in understanding the impact and potential uses of sargassum,” said Quintana Roo Governor Lexama. “We are the only state in the country with a sargassum monitoring center operated using satellite technology in collaboration with the European Space Agency.
“The goal is to turn an environmental challenge, which it is, into a great opportunity for development and well-being, and we’re making great progress in this regard.”
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