Mexico unveils environmentally-friendly design for new airport

MEXICO CITY (Xinhua) - Mexico City's new international airport will help to protect the environment, a Mexican official said Friday in a press conference.

Mexican Presidency Spokesman Eduardo Sanchez said the new airport would be the first one outside Europe to include "neutral carbon footprint," a system to generate renewable energy and remove the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Sanchez said the new airport, with a 2,700-hectare forest, will benefit people living nearby.

"More green areas, clean water and better roads will have an impact on the quality of life. This will help transform the ecological damage into opportunities for sustainable development," Sanchez said.

The new airport will also boost green business since 70 percent of the water used will come from their own water treatment plants.

Sanchez added the new airport will use clean energy such as sunlight and biogas and will be the first airport to obtain "LEED platinum" certification, the highest award granted to a green building.

Environment Minister Juan Jose Guerra Abud explained the use of clean energy for lighting and ventilation by photocells, adding that energy saving will be of 47 percent (from 447 kilowatt-hours to 267 kilowatt-hours).

The airport, with a budget of $13 billion, will serve 120 million passengers, according to an announcement made by President Enrique Pena Nieto a few days ago.